The First War
by PaganKassandra
Summary: Starts during Marauders era and continues throughout war. Girl from France starts Hogwarts. They all get involved in the war against Voldemort. Not another fluff or typical xchange student story. Turns into a serious story about the war. SB/OC JP/LE RL/OC
1. The New Girl

**Chapter 1: The New Girl**

Sirius Black stepped onto Platform 9 ¾ in order to catch the train called the Hogwarts Express. From the barrier behind him emerged his best friend, James Potter.

"Ready, Padfoot?"

"Oh yeah, Prongs. I have a feeling that 6th year is going to be fantastic."

"You boys ready for another school year?" came a voice from behind them.

"Of course, Mrs. P," replied Sirius. "We both turn of age this year. Can you imagine all the girls that will-"

"What Sirius means to say, Mum," interrupted James, "is that we are very much looking forward to all of those N.E.W.T. level classes that we'll be taking this year."

"Oh, you two are such good boys. So studious."

"You have your mother wrapped around your finger, James," said Mr. Potter, coming through the barrier behind them. "Remus Lupin, how are you my dear boy?" Remus had just walked up to them from the train. "Still a prefect, I see. James…Sirius, you two would do well to follow his example."

"Sure thing, Dad" replied his son sullenly.

Mr. Potter flashed his son a grin that James had been known to use on occasion when he was in a sticky situation. "Well, you boys look all settled and ready to get on board. I suppose we'll just be on our way then. Have a good term," said Mr. Potter, taking his wife's arm.

"Goodbye boys," she said, kissing both James and Sirius on the cheek. "We'll see you at Christmas." With that, James Potter's parents disappeared back through the barrier.

"Gee, thanks, Moony. I just love when my parents compare me to you."

"Not my fault, James," replied Remus with a wolfish grin. "Maybe if you and Sirius could just manage to stay out of detention a bit more…" With that, he started heading back towards the train. "C'mon, I already found us a compartment."

The two other boys loped along after him. As the three of them walked down the length of the platform, more than a few girls straightened up and took notice. And why wouldn't they? These were the Marauders. Or at least three of them, anyways. They were known as pranksters and tricksters and could always be counted on to provide amusement for their many admirer's.

James Potter and Sirius Black were best friends and the ringleaders of their little group. James had jet black hair, brown eyes, glasses, and good looks. His hair was always messy, as if he had just stepped off a broomstick that he was flying in order to catch an elusive snitch. He was, you guessed it, captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. As a result, his head was usually swollen to about five times the size it should be.

One look at his companion and you knew that he was no better. Sirius Black had jet black hair, deep grey eyes, and a face so handsome he made girls swoon. He didn't need the status of Quidditch captain to impress girls. All he had to do was flash them one of his trademark grins and they went weak at the knees. He had in fact, gone through most of the female population of Hogwarts, both older and younger than himself. There was many a girl at the school who cursed him for breaking their hearts.

Besides this, James and Sirius were troublemakers. They were always pranking some Slytherin or unsuspecting first year and as a result, could usually be found in detention. It seemed highly unlikely that they would associate with someone who was a prefect, but they had been best friends with Remus Lupin since their first year. Remus was a boy with sandy blonde hair, deep brown eyes, and the sweetest smile you've ever seen. Unlike his friends, he was a bit more studious and tried to stay out of trouble as much as possible, although he did tend to look the other way when his friends were the ones causing it. Though he was quiet, he caught the attention of many girls as well, although he was completely oblivious to it.

Finally, they had reached the part of the train where their compartment was and they got on board. "I already put my trunk inside," said Remus. As he opened the door, he stopped short and his friends bumped into him. Sitting in the compartment was a young girl who looked to be about fifteen. She had curly jet black hair, mocha toned skin, a gorgeous face, and simply stunning violet eyes. She was reading a book that looked to be in French and did not look up when the door opened.

"I guess she must not have realized we were sitting here," whispered Remus.

"Now, now, Moony, let's not be rude," said Sirius bending down to get a better look at her short skirt. "I'm sure this compartment's big enough for all of us." He let out a low wolf whistle that the girl surely must have heard, though she did not look up.

Remus rolled his eyes at his friend and took a seat opposite the pretty girl. Sirius quickly sat down next to her after putting his trunk away. James sat across from Sirius. It was then that the girl finally looked up.

Sirius leaned in close to her. "Hello, beautiful," he whispered seductively.

She seemed to scoot away from him a little. "Hello," she said in what seemed to be a very heavy French accent.

"You'll have to excuse my friend," said James, "he can never seem to talk to a pretty girl without making her very uncomfortable." She just looked at him quizzically.

"Thanks, Prongs. Just ignore him darling. I'm Sirius Black, and you are?"

She just continued to give them a blank look.

"Uh, Sirius, mate," said Remus, "I don't think she speaks English."

"Really?" he said, and seemed to perk up a little.

"Oui. I don't speek much eenglish. I am transfer from Beauxbatons," she said very slowly. Sirius was practically drooling.

He pointed to himself and said, "Sirius Black." He pointed to James who gave a small wave, "James Potter." He then pointed to his other friend who gave a small nod, "And Remus Lupin. And you are?" he said pointing to her.

She looked unsure for a second and then said, "Isadora Nicole Angelline." She then promptly picked up her book and continued reading.

"I guess she just isn't taken in by your charms, Sirius," said Remus.

Sirius just looked dumfounded. "Didn't you hear her say her name, Moony?"

"What d'you mean?" asked James.

"Blimey, Prongs. You know, for a Potter, you sure don't know anything about purebloods."

"Yeah, well my parents never put as much stock by it as yours did."

Sirius gave him a glare before continuing, "Yeah, well, growing up in that house you can't help but pick up a few things. And let me tell you, she is as pureblooded as it gets. One of the oldest lines, the richest, most respected, known for their philanthropic efforts as well as for pulling more than a few strings at the Ministry of Magic."

"Sounds scary," said Potter.

"Yeah. There's just one thing though. I could have sworn that the Angelline line had died out years ago…Oh well, if she really is one, she's probably a real stuck up bitch."

At that point, someone burst into their compartment, completely out of breath. This was the fourth, and most unlikely Marauder of the quartet: Peter Pettigrew. Isadora did not so much as glance up. And a good thing too, because Peter would hardly have impressed her. He was a short, pudgy boy with brown hair and rat-like features. "Made it," he said. At that exact second, the train started moving. His friends greeted him as he put his trunk away. Peter took a seat next to James just as the compartment door opened again. A girl of sixteen walked in. She had bright red hair, brilliant green eyes, and a shiny prefects badge pinned to her chest.

"Hello everyone," said Lily Evans. She quickly looked to the only other person in uniform. "Remus, you ready to come up to the prefect's compartment?"

"What, Evans?" said James. "No kiss hello? I haven't seen you all summer?"

Lily rolled her eyes at him, "In your dreams, Potter"

Remus took his cue and stood up to follow Lily out. As they were leaving, she glanced over her shoulder and they could hear her ask Remus, "Who's the girl?"

Sirius glanced over at Isadora. She was completely engrossed in her book so he engaged the other boys in a game of exploding snap.

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A couple of hours later, Remus returned with Lily in tow.

"Ah, Evans. I knew you couldn't stay away from me."

"Save it, Potter. I'm here to rescue this poor new transfer student from the likes of you."

"Ah, c'mon Evans," said Sirius, "we've been perfect gentleman."

"You, Black? A gentleman? Somehow I doubt that." She squeezed her way between him and Isadora and sat down next to her. "Hello," she said and Isadora looked up. "I'm Lily Evans." Isadora eyed her before giving the first genuine smile they'd seen from her since they walked into the compartment.

"Isadora Angelline. I am transfer from Beauxbatons."

"What year are you?"

Isadora just stared blankly at her.

"Do any of you speak French?" asked Lily, turning around to look at the boys.

"Not a word," said Remus.

"You see our problem," retorted James.

"Trust me Lily," began Sirius, "if I knew French, I'd be chatting her up right now and she wouldn't be remotely interested in talking to you."

Lily looked defeated. She turned back around to Isadora. "Well, it was nice to meet you." She held out her hand. Isadora smiled again and shook it. Lily left the compartment and Isadora picked up her book again and didn't speak until the end of the train ride.

As they neared Hogwarts, the boys left one by one to change into their uniforms. Isadora took her cue and got up to go get changed. She came back in the red and gold uniform of Gryffindor and Sirius got a better look at her. She was short, maybe a full foot shorter than him, but that didn't mean she wasn't hot. He got a good look at her very curvy hourglass figure and made an appraising sort of noise. "You look even better in uniform, Isadora, especially in Gryffindor colors." She just gave him a queer look and went to grab her trunk. The train had just stopped. Sirius made a quick move to help her but she politely brushed him aside and left to get off the train.

"Wow Padfoot, I think your losing your touch," said James as he got his belongings together.

"Don't worry, Prongsie. I'll have her in a broom cupboard by the end of the month, screaming my name in that delightful French accent of hers."

"Lovely," said Remus, "I don't know how the girls resist you."

"News flash, Moony. They don't."

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Sirius lost sight of Isadora on the way up to the castle, but quickly spotted her again in the Great Hall. "Oh, drat," said Sirius to his friends. "She sitting next to Evans. Lily will never let me get more than two words in with her."

"Maybe that's a good thing," said Remus.

"Naw, c'mon Padfoot, this is good for both of us," said James. "I'll distract Lily while you work on Isadora." He quickly went over and sat down next to Lily. Sirius sat across from them next to Isadora. Remus just sighed and followed them over, Peter trailing behind them.

By the end of dinner, both James and Sirius were immensely frustrated. Lily was completely ignoring James, either talking to her friends or trying to prevent Sirius from getting too touchy feely with an obviously uncomfortable Isadora.

"Aw, c'mon Lily," said Sirius, "I can't help myself. I fancy the whole French exchange student vibe she has going. Besides, she is super hot." Isadora choked on her pumpkin juice and everyone turned to stare at her. She had already looked back down at her plate though and seemed completely unperturbed. "Uhh..Lily. You don't think she can understand English, do you?"

"I really don't think so Sirius, she hasn't said a word since we got off the train. Regardless though, I think it's very rude of you to talk about someone as if they weren't there, even if she can't understand you."

Sirius looked at her incredulously, but he did indeed leave Isadora alone for the rest of the night.

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A couple hours later, the Marauders were sitting in their dormitory, chatting away. "Can you believe I couldn't get her to talk to me?" complained Sirius loudly.

"Padfoot, mate, she doesn't understand English," said James.

"Yeah," piped in Remus, "and those frightening hand gestures you were making at her definitely weren't helping."

"Oh, stuff it, Moony."

"Besides," said James, " you didn't do any better than I did with my precious Lily pad. She still will not give me the time of day. I just don't get her."

"Prongs, I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings," said Remus, "but I really don't think she likes you."

"But everyone likes me…"

Remus just rolled his eyes.

**PLEASE REVIEW**


	2. First Day of School

Chapter 2: First Day of School

**Chapter 2:** **First Day of School**

The next morning at breakfast the school was abuzz with rumors about the new girl. After all, it's not everyday you get a transfer student from Beauxbatons. No one could seem to get any information about her though. Anyone who tried to talk to her gave the same report. All the girl would do was give a weak hello and then hang her head down, looking moody and sullen. That didn't stop them though from making bets on which Hogwarts playboy would manage to snag her first. So far, Sirius Black was the most popular vote.

When Sirius entered the Great Hall that morning, he made a beeline for Lily Evans, her being the most likely person to give him information about his new classmate. He sat down across from her and flashed her one of his most charming grins, "So, Evans, hear anything else about the new girl, the lovely Miss Isadora Angelline?"

"Just rumors…"

"Well, do tell. Is she in our year?"

"I don't think so. She wasn't sleeping in our dorm last night. Although I did hear a rumor that she was actually a third year."

At this, Sirius almost spit out his pumpkin juice. "That's not possible. I mean, just look at her. There is no way that girl is thirteen."

"I know, Black. I think it highly unlikely too. I'm just telling you what I heard."

At this point, the girl in question came over to their table and sat down next to Lily. She looked up at the red-headed girl, gave a quiet hello, and a brief smile. Lily returned the gesture and then Isadora hung her head down and began to pick at her breakfast plate.

"Well, I guess she's taken a liking to you, at any rate, Lily-Pads," said James, coming to sit down next to her. He was followed by Remus and Peter who sat across the table next to Sirius.

"James, how many times have I told you not to call me that? And could you boys please stop talking about the poor girl as if she wasn't sitting right here? Can you imagine how difficult it must be adjusting to a brand new school when you don't even know the language?"

"Oh if she needs it, I'm sure I can take time out of my busy schedule to help her…_adjust_," said Sirius waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Merlin's beard, Sirius. You can be such a pig," said Lily, pulling out her class schedule. She showed it to Isadora and asked her, "Do you know what your schedule is?" Isadora bent down to get something out of her bag and produced a schedule which she gave to a triumphant Lily. "Right, well, it looks like you have History of Magic up first with us and then Transfiguration. I can take you to those classes at least." While she was saying this she pointed to herself, then mimed little feet walking with her fingers, and then pointed at Isadora, who looked like she was about to burst from laughter, but instead just nodded her head in understanding. She got up and followed Lily out of the Great Hall. Sirius stared at her as she left but quickly lost sight of her amongst the throng of students departing for their first classes of the year.

"Well, I suppose we had better get a move on," said Remus with a suspicious look on his face.

"Wonderful," said James. "The dreadfully dull, droning, diatribe of Professor Binns awaits us."

"Hey, look on the bright side," said Sirius. "At least we'll get some more sleep."

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Class was just as boring as they remembered. When they entered the room, they made sure to get seats behind Lily and Isadora, who was being introduced to Lily's friend, Alice Greengrass. At that moment, Professor Binns glided in and the dull monotony that was History of Magic began. The only people who seemed to be taking notes were Lily and surprisingly enough, Isadora. Sirius leaned forward to get a look at what she was writing, then leaned back to James and Remus.

"It looks like she's writing in French."

"What could she possibly be writing?" said James.

"A novel, maybe?" snickered Sirius.

"Or maybe she actually understands English and is just writing in French," piped in Remus.

"What, you think she's been taking a piss this whole time?"

"I don't know, Moony," said James. "The blank expression she had on her face yesterday was pretty convincing."

"There is one way to find out," said Sirius.

"What's that?" said Remus.

And before the boys could stop him he said in a loud stage whisper so that half the room could hear, "I DON'T KNOW JAMES, NEW GIRL'S PRETTY HOT. I'D DEFINITELY SHAG HER."

There was a shuffling of chairs as several people turned around to stare at him. James and Remus hung their heads down embarrassed. Lily turned around and threw a book at Sirius. The girl in question though, just continued writing.

"Well, there's your answer, Moony," said James sniggering.

Remus Lupin, however, looked entirely unconvinced. And during Transfiguration, the boys found out exactly why.

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Once again, Isadora sat with Lily, right up front. The boys sat a couple of rows back, still chatting about Sirius' ridiculous outburst in History of Magic. "Did you see Lily's face when he said it?" said James. "I though she was gonna explode."

Just then, Professor McGonagall swept in and all talking ceased. "Class, we will begin this year by working on our non-verbal spell incantations. These can be very difficult to do and will require a great deal of work and concentration on your part. Now, who can tell me what the benefits of a non-verbal incantation are?" No one seemed to want to respond. The professor looked down in front of her and caught sight of Isadora. "Ah, and you must be Miss Angelline." Isadora nodded. "I hear that you are very bright for your age, years ahead of your peers. Could you tell me the benefits of non-verbal incantations?"

Isadora just looked nervous and scared.

"Please Professor McGonagall," began Lily. "Isadora is a transfer from Beauxbatons. She doesn't speak English. We haven't been able to get more than a few words out of her since she got here."

Professor McGonagall seemed to consider this for a second. She looked at Lily and back at Isadora whose head was hung down. McGonagall's face seemed to twitch a little. She then quickly descended upon Isadora and bent down over her, talking right in her ear. "Miss Angelline, I understand that Hogwarts might not be the place where you wish to continue your education, but you are here and I think that we all just need to make the best of it. Albus Dumbledore has spoken to me at length about you and you'll find that I know much more about your particular situation than you give me credit for. Now, I refuse to be ridiculed in my own classroom so I suggest you think carefully before answering my question! What are the benefits of a non-verbal incantation?

By the end of her speech, McGonagall was crimson colored and looked ready to burst. The entire class held their breath. No one dared move. Everyone was just waiting to see what happened next.

Suddenly, Isadora looked up right into Professor McGonagall's face and smiled the sweetest smile you ever saw. When she opened her mouth, she spoke with a very natural British accent and maybe only a slight trace of the French accent that was so prevalent before. "Ma'am, the benefit of a non-verbal incantation is that the witch or wizard can use the spell even if they can't speak or are otherwise incapacitated. Also, the non-verbal incantation gives the witch or wizard the element of surprise over their opponent." The entire class was dumbstruck, the most surprised being Lily Evans, closely followed by Sirius Black.

Professor McGonagall stepped away from Isadora and walked back to her desk, talking as she went. "Thank you, Miss Angelline, that is quite right. Twenty points from Gryffindor for your cheek. Try anything like that in my class again and I'll—

"You'll what, Professor? Expel me?"

If the class was dumfounded before, they were positively flabbergasted now. No one spoke to McGonagall that way. Not unless they had a death wish of course. The chances of her actually expelling Isadora outright were quite high. Never mind the fact that she didn't actually have the authority to do so.

Instead, McGonagall simply stared at her a second longer and said quite calmly, "Miss Angelline, please report to the headmaster's office."

"And what should I tell the headmaster?"

"Anything you like, just get out of my class. And I hope for your sake that you have a better attitude the next time you join us."

Isadora looked over at Lily and seemed to show her a flicker of remorse for what she had done to the girl. She then turned to McGonagall, flashed her that sweet as sugar smile of hers and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you, Professor McGonagall." She then collected her things and left the classroom.

On the way out, she caught sight of the open-mouthed expression of shock on Sirius's face and couldn't help but wink at him.

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After taking that strange moving staircase upwards, Isadora found herself in front the headmaster's door. She knocked lightly, heard a soft "come in," and entered the intimidating office.

Professor Dumbledore looked up at her from his desk and let out a sigh. "Ah, Isadora, I was wondering when I would see you in here. I must admit, I did not expect it to be quite so soon. We've barely begun our first day of classes. Won't you please sit down?" he said motioning to the chairs.

"No thank you, Albus, I prefer to stand."

"If you insist. If you could wait just one minute, I'll be right with you." He bent his head down to his desk to finish the letter that he was writing.

Isadora busied herself by going over to the perch next to Dumbledore's desk and saying hi to Fawkes, his phoenix. She used to see the bird all the time when she was younger and she missed him. By the affectionate way in which he nipped her finger, she gather that he felt the same. Isadora was always fascinated by the red bird. It was an inherently magical creature and she was always attracted to the more unusual forms that magic took. She could always feel the energy pulsing through the bird and was even able to connect with him a few times, albeit unintentionally.

Isadora stopped stroking the birds beak when she realized that Dumbledore was staring at her curiously. She stuffed her hand in her pocket like a child who was caught doing something she shouldn't be. "I missed Fawkes," she mumbled. "I wasn't doing anything."

"That's quite all right," said Dumbledore kindly. "I must admit, I've always been fascinated by your particular brand of magic."

"I wasn't doing any magic," Isadora protested.

"Nevertheless, you and that bird have a certain…affinity towards one another. I suspect he'd come to you if you called him."

Isadora said nothing. The fact was that Fawkes used to come to her when she called him but she didn't want to tell Dumbledore that. She had no qualms doing that when she was a young girl but now that she was older, she wasn't sure if it was polite to call someone else's phoenix to her.

"Now," said Dumbledore, changing the subject. "May I ask, which teacher is it that sent you to come here and see me?

"Professor McGonagall, sir."

"Ah, yes. And how did you behave in her class?" Their conversation was casual, as if they had had it before and would have it again and so, there was no need to beat around the bush.

"Oh, I'm sure she'll tell you all about it later," Isadora replied nonchalantly.

He sighed. "Very well, then. I suppose a month's worth of detentions should do the trick?"

"That sounds fair to me."

Isadora turned around to leave but Dumbledore stopped her. "Ah, Isadora, I would like to speak to you if I may?"

"I suppose so."

"I would just like to tell you that I am very sorry for this unfortunate turn of events. I know that transferring into a different school can be very trying. Pulling you out of Beauxbatons was done not by choice but by necessity. The situation throughout the wizarding world is becoming more, ah…precarious. I think it much safer for you to be close by me should anything happen."

"Albus, I'm still in school. And it's not is if I'm in any physical danger. I go to Ministry parties all the time during the summer holiday's. Not a single official has once come up to me and asked me for anything more than a donation to their cause."

"Please try and understand Isadora, that it's not just ministry officials I'm worried about. But on that note, I think you'll find that as the situation worsens, no one will care how old you are. They will only see you for the money you can give and the political power that your name still holds."

Isadora looked like she wanted to say something else but held back. She didn't know what other people Dumbledore was worried about but she was used to his cryptic words and didn't think he would give her a straight response even if she asked. "Is that all?"

"No. I would like you to start having tea with me on Sunday afternoons. I know that we haven't talked much since your parents died and I would like to get to know you better now that we'll be living at the same school."

"Do I have a choice?"

"No, I think not."

"I don't get it. Why do you all of a sudden care what it is I do?"

"Regardless of what you may think Isadora, I have always cared about you. I just haven't been as available to you as I would have liked to have been."

Isadora pondered this for a moment and went to leave the office. Right before she reached the door however, "Ah, Isadora. One more thing. The group of sixth years I saw you socializing with yesterday and at breakfast this morning, they are a good group of friends: loyal, and kind. I highly recommend them."

"I'll see you for tea on Sunday, Professor Dumbledore." And with that she left the office.

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On the way to lunch, the Marauders were still talking about what had happened in Transfiguration. Random students were coming up to them also and asking for firsthand accounts. Nobody could seem to figure out why such a pretty girl who would have no problem fitting in at Hogwarts, would try to alienate herself so thoroughly before classes had even started.

"Maybe there's something wrong with her," said James.

"You mean like maybe she's crazy?" squeaked Peter.

"Well, we know she's crazy," said Sirius with a hint of respect in his voice. "Talking to McGonagall that way. I've never seen anything like it. I thought her head was gonna start spinning around and pop off."

"I think it far more likely that Lily was right about her," said Remus.

"What do you mean?" asked James.

"Well, she probably just felt uncomfortable transferring to a new school and was just pretending she couldn't speak English so she could…I dunno…protect herself maybe?"

"That's a funny way of going about it, don't you think?" said Sirius.

They would soon find out for themselves though, what exactly Isadora's motives were. As they approached the lunch table, they saw her there trying to talk to Lily who was very actively trying to ignore her and hold a conversation with her friends, Alice and Erica. The boys quickly sat down to watch the show.

"Please, Lily, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you. I just sort of got carried away yesterday and I couldn't very well come down to breakfast this morning and say, 'oh by the way, I speak perfect English.' I'm really sorry if I embarrassed you. I would really like to be your friend."

"Shouldn't you be apologizing to me?" interrupted Sirius. "All those things I said thinking that you couldn't understand me?"

"You?!" Isadora became incensed. "You're the whole reason I pretended I couldn't speak English in the first place!"

Lily perked up upon hearing this.

"You and that stupid pick up line yesterday on the train. 'Hello, beautiful.' Do you have any idea how bloody irritating that can be? I only pretended I couldn't speak English so I wouldn't have to deal with you hitting on me the whole train ride there. Not that it didn't stop you from trying to feel me up at dinner last night. You prat!" she screamed that last bit as she jumped up from the table and stormed out of the Great Hall.

James, Remus, and Peter were left laughing so hard at Sirius it looked like they were going to die from lack of oxygen. Sirius himself just looked confused, as if a girl had never spoken like that to him before. Lily just smiled to herself and said, "Maybe Isadora is pretty cool after all."

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By the end of the day, Isadora was so exhausted and so stressed out that she just went right up to her dormitory before dinner. All she felt like doing was crying and she wasn't the type of person to cry. She didn't know what she was doing that morning. She had just started speaking French the day before and kept going because she didn't know what else to do. She really liked Lily and didn't want her to hate her. Not to mention the way she blew up at that Professor McGonagall. She was just so angry at Dumbledore for talking about her that she kind of exploded.

"What am I doing here?" she said to herself as she lay down on her bed. She wanted nothing more than to go back to France. While she wouldn't exactly use the term 'friends' to describe the people she socialized with there, at least it was someplace familiar to her.

Isadora shook her head to clear it and told herself that she wasn't going to mope. She steeled herself by thinking of the summer holiday's that she always spent alone in the big old Angelline manor with only the house elves for company and the occasional visit from her families' financial advisor to talk about some dull proposal or other. "Yeah, this won't be that bad. Maybe I can get that girl Lily to forgive me and I could have at least one friend here. She seemed really nice.


	3. Making Friends

**ADDED ANOTHER SECTION TO THE END OF CHAPTER TWO. READ THAT FIRST. SORRY! MY FIRST FIC, HAVING TROUBLE GETTING STARTED. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!**

**Chapter 3: Making Friends**

Isadora woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to make amends to Lily. She managed to snag the shower before most of her roommates had a crack at it. She hadn't said more than one word to them since she met them. They seemed slightly afraid of her after her performance in Transfiguration the day before, not that they were there to see it, they just heard the rumors. It didn't matter much to Isadora anyways, the girls in her dormitory seemed really young and she was way ahead of them in school.

After she got dressed and ready she went downstairs to see if Lily was in the common room. She wasn't but someone else was.

"Hello there, Isadora," said Sirius, trying to put his arm around her. "You're looking stunning this morning."

She shrugged him off and continued out of the portrait with him following closely behind her. "Good morning, Sirius. Have you seen Lily?"

"She's already at breakfast. I'll walk you there."

"No thanks."

He looked at her curiously for a minute while following behind her. "You're not attracted to me, are you?"

"No, not in the slightest. Why? Should I be?"

"Well…yes. Every other girl in this school is."

"Well, I'm different."

"I can see that. Maybe that's why I like you so much. Why exactly don't you like me?"

"Well for starters, you're conceited, abrasive, argumentative, annoying, a jerk, oh…and you're a Black."

"Well, that's not very nice. I'd say you and I are in the same boat. I don't judge you just because you're an Angelline."

"What was that you said the other day on the train about me being a bitch?"

"Oh, right, I forgot. The great pretender knew every word I was saying. Just so you know, I didn't mean it. I was just…talking. Anyways, what would you know about being a Black?"

"Me? I've met your mother, Sirius."

That definitely threw him for a loop. He paused…"Where?"

"I go to all those stuffy, boring Ministry parties over the holidays. I've met her quite a few times. And let me tell you, if she is any indication—"

"She's not." Sirius cut her off coldly and stopped walking. "At least not any indication of me. I hate the bitch. I moved out this past summer. I live with the Potter's now."

Isadora was speechless. Why did she have to stick her foot mouth twice in the two days she'd been there. She thought that Walburga Black was a terrible person, but it never occurred to her that her son thought so too. Who the hell insults someone's parent without actually knowing them, anyways? Why did she act so mean to everyone in this school before she had even gotten to know them? "I'm sorry, Sirius…I didn't mean anything…I just…I'm sorry—"

"Don't worry about it." He gave her a weak smile. "Besides, if you say sorry more than twice, people might start to think you're desperate for my forgiveness," he said suggestively while subtly inching closer to her.

"And there goes that mouth of yours again, Sirius."

"You've been watching my mouth?" he said quietly moving ever closer.

Isadora stared into his eyes for a minute before suddenly realizing that Sirius was far too close to her, maybe only inches away. She started sputtering and ran for it. Thankfully, they were only a few feet away from the Great Hall and she ducked in and quickly scanned the Gryffindor table for Lily.

She saw her almost immediately about halfway down the table. She hurried over there and sat down next to her. Before Lily could even say a word, Isadora placed a Chocolate Frog in front of her. "I know this actually can't make up for what I did yesterday but I'm hoping that you'll give me a second chance and realize that I'm not such terrible person even though what I did to you was deplorable and that—"

"Isadora! Slow down a second. Look. It was only two days. I understand it must be hard coming to a new school, especially trying to deal with these morons," Lily said motioning towards James across the table and Sirius who had just sat down with him (with a grin on his face like the cat who ate the canary). "Let's just start all over, okay?" She held out her hand. "Lily Evans."

Isadora held out her hand and shook Lily's. "Isadora Angelline…thanks Lily…I mean really, thanks."

"Of course. But I gotta ask…are you really an exchange student from Beauxbatons?"

Isadora laughed out loud for her first time since coming to Hogwarts. "Yes, I actually studied at Beauxbatons for the past three years!"

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The second day went much better for Isadora. Lily reintroduced her to Alice Greengrass and to their friend Erica Jameson. She didn't actually have any classes with them in the morning but somehow, that didn't seem to matter. The first half of the day was a breeze. Her classes were fine, she didn't yell at any teachers, and she didn't make any enemies. Everything was great…until her afternoon potions class.

Lily, Alice, and Erica were in the class…but so were the Marauders. Isadora went straight for Lily and sat down next to her. James and Sirius made it a point to sit down right behind them.

"So Lily," said James. "It occurs to me…it's only the second day of classes and I still haven't asked you out yet."

"I know, James. I was hoping we could make it to three days before I had to turn you down again."

"We still might. I technically haven't actually asked you yet."

Lily just rolled her eyes and turned back to Isadora who asked, "How many times has he asked you out?"

"About three times a week since third year," replied Lily. "Don't worry. I see the way Sirius Black looks at you. You'll be experiencing just how irritating it can be soon enough."

Isadora blushed heartily but thankfully Professor Slughorn walked into the room just then and his presence commanded silence.

"All right class, welcome to N.E.W.T. level potions. This year you will all be taking more responsibility for your learning and so I will put you in pairs and you will be responsible for a series of projects. For these projects, you will pick a potion, research it, report on it, and make it together in class…without a textbook…for an exam grade. Any questions?...No?...Good. Here are your assigned partners…"

Lily and Isadora just looked at each other. They just knew their luck couldn't be that bad. A whole year of class with one person? It couldn't be who they thought it would be with.

"Lily Evans……………….Alice Greengrass."

"Thank god!" said Lily quite audibly. James looked like he had just found out that the Easter Bunny wasn't real. Isadora relaxed a little. If Lily didn't get stuck with James, there was no way she'd be stuck with Sirius. There was no way she could be so unfortunate. Then…there it was…Slughorn was calling his name.

"Sirius Black…………………..Isadora Angelline.

'No way,' thought Isadora. 'Why me? Is my karma that bad?' She looked like she wanted to throw herself out the window. Sirius, meanwhile, looked like Christmas had come early.

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"How did I get so unlucky!" whined Isadora at dinner.

"Oh, c'mon," said Alice. "At least he's nice to look at."

"He is not nice to look at! He is the most self-centered prat that I have ever met! He spent the entire time calling me things like his little moonstone or his unicorn."

"That's not so terrible," said Lily.

"He also called me his little bubotuber!"

At this the girls simply burst out laughing. "Aww…forget it," said Isadora. "I'm exhausted anyways, I'm just gonna go to bed early again."

"Hey, Isadora," said Lily. "What dorm are you in anyways?"

"Oh, I got stuck in the third year dorm."

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm thirteen."

"WHAT!!!" screamed all three girls at once.

"How is that possible?"

"Your in sixth year classes!"

"Are you a genius?"

"No, it's not that big of a deal!" said Isadora. "Beauxbatons starts a year earlier than Hogwarts and besides that, I'm ahead by a year or so."

"What does a year or so mean?" asked Alice.

"Well, I'm taking mostly fifth year classes. But I already took a few O.W.L.S. so I'm taking a couple of sixth year classes too."

"Are you kidding?" said Erica.

"No."

"Oh…okay then," said Lily.

"Well, good night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Isadora," chorused all three girls.

As soon as she left, they immediately started chatting…

"Can you believe she's only thirteen?"

"Just look at her?"

"She looks so much older!"

"There's no way she's thirteen!"

"Who's thirteen my little Lily-Pads?" asked James as he sat down at the table with Sirius, Remus, and Peter.

"Uh…no one," said Lily as she ushered her friends from the table and up to the Gryffindor common room so they could discuss this newfound piece of gossip.

"Those girls get weirder and weirder every day," said Sirius.


	4. Detention

**Sorry y'all. I completely forgot to put a disclaimer in the other chapters. No one belongs to me except for Miss Isadora Nicole Angelline, and a couple of blonde bimbos. (Although I wouldn't mind owning Sirius Black…)**

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**Chapter 4: Detention**

The rest of the week went all right for Isadora. The classes weren't too difficult. She was just struggling to get used to new teachers, new classmates, and a new way of doing things. Lily was a great help, always giving her advice and the quickest routes to classes, which staircases changed, shortcuts and things like that.

The only class she really dreaded was potions. On her way there on Friday, she consoled herself by thinking of the weekend ahead. When she arrived at class she sat down next to Sirius who was talking to James. They had an old piece of parchment between them. "What have you boys got there?"

James quickly stuffed the piece of parchment into his robes. Sirius quickly replied, "Nothing for you to worry your pretty little head about, dear Izzy."

Isadora almost dropped all of her crystal phials on the floor. "Don't you ever call me that!"

"Call you what? Izz-"

"Don't even say it! I hate when people call me that! I never want to hear you say that name again! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!"

"Yeah. Of course, no problem," said Sirius, backing away from her slightly.

"Wow, she can be scary when she wants to be," whispered James to Sirius.

"Excuse me?" said Isadora in a dangerously low tone.

"Nothing, nothing," said James going to his seat next to Remus.

Thankfully Slughorn walked in and all talking ceased. "All right class, you should all have picked out your potions by now. I should hope that they are difficult enough that you don't know all of the ingredients. Up on my desk are a variety of books that will help you to research these ingredients. Before actually using them, you will need to write a paper about the properties of these ingredients and how they contribute to your chosen potion. Don't expect to finish all of this in class, you and your partner will need to spend extra time in the library." At this comment Sirius winked at Isadora. "You know what to do. Get started."

"So Isadora, did we pick a potion?"

"Almost Sirius. I narrowed down to either a Blood-Replenishing Potion or Amortentia. Either of those should be difficult enough to guarantee us a good mark."

"What's Amortentia?

"A love potion."

"Oooh…let's do that one."

Isadora rolled her eyes, "Look, we're going to have do a series of potions. We'll start with the Blood-Replenishing Potion and for the next project we'll do Amortentia. Can you go up to his desk and get me that big potions book at the bottom of the stack. That should have what we need."

Isadora pulled her book out of her bag and began going through the ingredients she had. Sirius came back with the book, set it down, and turned around to talk to James.

"So, I found this new hex. It swells up the persons face to six times its normal size."

"That sounds awesome. We have to try it on Snivelly."

"Let's get him right before dinner."

"We can ambush him as he comes up the stairs from the dungeons."

"You know, Prongs," said Remus looking up from his book. "If you want to get in Lily's good books, you might want to stop hexing Snape."

"Aww, we'll just do it when she's not around to see."

"Yeah, Moony," said Sirius. "We're Marauders. We can't let some silly girl think that she can boss us around."

"Sirius," interrupted Isadora. "Can you please go to the supply cabinet and get me some powdered bicorn horn? I need to run some tests on it."

"Excuse me, Isadora. I'm in the middle of a very important conversation."

"Hexing Snape is not important conversation. Now, do you like having me doing all of this research?"

"Ummm…yes?"

"Good. So when I ask you to get me something that I need, you'll do so without complaint, right?"

"Er…right," said Sirius getting up.

"You sure showed her, Padfoot," said James laughing. Remus just shook his head and went back to his book. Sirius shot them a dirty look before going over to the supply cabinet. On the way back he noticed Amber Lee and her fellow Hufflepuff Lindsay Mercer eyeing him. He decided to take a detour and sauntered over to them. He put his arm around Amber and gave her a devastating smile. "Looking good there, Amber." She giggled at him. "You know it occurs to me that this is my sixth year at Hogwarts and we still haven't been on a date yet."

"Well, Sirius, you were dating my friend Ashley last year and I guess you thought it just wouldn't be right to ask me out."

"Hmmm…that doesn't sound like me. I guess we'll just have to fix this, won't we?"

Isadora looked up from where she was sitting and saw Sirius chatting to two ditzy looking blondes. She turned around to see James sleeping on the desk. She looked to Remus and got his attention. "Is he always like that?" she said, motioning towards Sirius.

"I'm afraid so."

"And girls actually like him?"

"You'd be surprised just how many of the girls in this school he's dated. Although never has one lasted more than a week."

"You seem normal, Remus. How can you stand him?"

"Well, first of all, his affections are never directed towards me, thank Merlin. And besides, once you get know him, you'll see he doesn't act like that all the time. He's actually a great friend. Very loyal." Isadora winced at the use of the word that Dumbledore had used to describe the group of friends earlier that week.

"Well, I just hope he gets it out of his system soon and stops hitting on me."

Remus just smiled knowingly and went back to his reading. Isadora looked back across the room at Sirius and the blonde bimbo. "Sirius!" she yelled across the room. He looked up. "I need that bicorn horn."

Sirius looked down at Amber. "I'm sorry, beautiful. The slave driver calls. I'll see you in Hogsmeade." He winked at her before walking away and she almost fell off her chair.

"Your bicorn horn, my little pixie," said Sirius as he sat down next to Isadora. Amber glared at them from across the room.

"Where'd you come up with that name?" Isadora replied looking down to fiddle with the bicorn horn.

"It just came to me. I think it suits you. You're short and have a fiery temper. You like it?"

"Not particularly, no."

"Well, if I can't call you Izzy and I can't call you pixie, what can I call you?"

"Isadora."

"Well, that's no fun."

"I don't care if you're having fun or not, Sirius."

"Ah, you wound me, little pixie." Isadora just rolled her eyes and continued working. Seeing he wouldn't get anywhere, Sirius turned around to wake up his sleeping friend.

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That night at dinner, Isadora found herself eating with Alice Greengrass and Erica Jameson. Lily was nowhere to be found. Alice was a pretty girl, she had brown hair and brown eyes and a bright smile. She was a pureblood like Isadora. Lily had told Isadora that Alice was dating a seventh year named Frank Longbottom. Isadora knew that the Longbottoms were purebloods too but she thought that it was just coincidence. Alice didn't seem like one of pureblood fanatics that were in Slytherin house. Besides, her and Lily's best friend was Erica was muggle born. She was a pretty blonde with blue eyes and a big personality. Isadora had heard that she was one of Sirius's many girlfriends the previous year, which explained why she always tried to stay as far away from the Marauders as she could.

Just then, Sirius and James ran up and collapsed at the table laughing and patting each other on the back. "Oh man, Sirius, you were right. That hex was bloody fantastic."

"Can you believe how big his face was?.

"Oh, bollocks. Shut up, Padfoot. Here comes Lily." The girl he spoke of sat down across from them angrily.

"Did you have anything to do with this, Potter?"

"What are you talking about Lily-Pads?"

"Sirius, did you two hex Snape?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Lily," he said. "But I do know that I need to be on my way." With that, he got up and left.

Lily rounded on James. "Potter, if I hear from anyone that you had something to do with this…" Isadora pursed her lips. James noticed this and looked at her pleadingly. She opened her mouth to speak and he knew he was done for.

"Well, I'll see you all later. I have detention in a couple of minutes and I don't want to be late." She got up and went, James smiling at her retreating form.

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Thankfully, it didn't take her that long to find the trophy room. She was supposed to meet someone called Mr. Filch. When she got there however, she got a nasty shock.

"Pixie! This is a pleasant surprise."

Isadora quickly recovered. "What are you doing here, Sirius?"

"Oh, you know. Hexed some first year kid earlier this week and Flitwick caught me."

"I have to do detention with you?"

"Try to contain your excitement, Izzy. What are you doing her anyways? You seem like a real straight laced girl." Before she could start yelling at Sirius for calling her Izzy, Argus Filch walked in with his cat, Mrs. Norris.

"Ah, Mr. Black. In detention already, I see."

"You know me, I just love cleaning these trophies."

"And you must be Miss Angelline. I suspect you and I will be seeing a lot of each other."

"I hope not sir." Sirius almost laughed out loud. "I didn't mean it like that…What I meant to say is that I don't expect to have to be in detention again after this month and that—"

"Enough. Both of you give me your wands." They handed them over. "Start cleaning. I'll be coming in and out periodically to check on you. And no talking."

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Three hours later, Isadora's hand was completely cramped. She almost cried out with joy when Filch came back with their wands and dismissed then. She practically ran from the trophy room, Sirius right on her tail.

"I never thought we'd get out of there. My hand is killing me."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

"I don't plan on getting used to it, Sirius. I, unlike you, actually want to get through school with a decent record."

"Why were you in there anyways, Pixie?"

"My little outburst at McGonagall on Monday."

"Oh right, I almost forgot. You've been such a goody two shoes since then."

"Don't call me that."

"Hey, Pixie," said Sirius as they hit a dead end. "Where are we going?"

"Oh. We're lost."

"I'm not lost. I know exactly where we are. I was just following you."

"This isn't funny Sirius. It's past curfew and I don't want to get caught out here, especially not with you."

"I don't care if we get caught. I don't mind detention. Nevertheless, I could show you the way if you wanted."

Isadora couldn't bear asking him for help but her desire not to be assigned another detention won out, "All right, fine. How do we get back to the common room?"

"Is that how you ask someone for a favor, Pixie?"

Isadora grit her teeth, "Sirius, could you please show me the way to the common room?"

"Of course, since you asked so nicely. This way." He led her off down another corridor. "We just need to make a small detour first."

"What? Sirius!"

"I'm hungry, I didn't eat dinner. Besides, the way I see it, you can either wander around until someone finds you, or come for a short walk with me. C'mon. I promise you'll never get caught as long as you stick by me."He winked at her and she looked at him warily. He took this as a yes, grabbed her hand and dragged her off down the corridor. After a couple of minutes he stopped and whispered to Isadora to stay quiet. They heard a soft meow from around the corner. "Quick, in here." Before Isadora knew what was happening, he pushed her into a broom closet. He followed her in and shut the door quietly.

Isadora was dismayed to discover that there wasn't much room and that she was pressed between the wall and Sirius's rather well muscled chest. Ugh…did she really just think that? She opened her mouth to protest the situation but Sirius quickly clamped his hand over her mouth. "Be quiet, Izzy. Do you want to get us caught?" he hissed. She glared at him but didn't try to speak, so he took his hand off her mouth.

They sat there for a couple of minutes, Sirius listening intently to the noises out in the corridor. Isadora hated herself for thinking that being pressed up against his chest in a broom closet wasn't the worst place to be. He smelled like the outdoors and she loved that fresh grass smell. She also didn't mind the lingering scent of his cologne. It was a rather pleasing smell. Isadora mentally slapped herself for thinking like that about Sirius.

"Okay, I think the coast is clear," whispered Sirius while slowly opening the door. He helped Isadora out of the closet and she followed him for a few minutes until they reached a picture of a bowl of fruit. He tickled the pear and it giggled and turned into a door handle. He grinned at the amazed look on Isadora's face. "Impressed?" She chose not to respond and he grinned even more while opening the door for her.

Isadora stepped through and was immediately assaulted by the sound of twenty high-pitched voices asking if they could help her. "House elves?" she stammered.

"Isadora, welcome to the Hogwarts kitchens," said Sirius coming in behind her.

"Master Black, Master Black, what can we get you?" chorused the elves.

"Well, I missed dinner so I was hoping we could sit down and get something to eat." Immediately a table and two chairs were brought out and the two were pushed into seats. Isadora had hardly had time to blink before some butterbeers and a plate full of food was set on the table along with a candle and a rose to set the mood.

Isadora glared at Sirius. "How many girls have you brought down her in order to train them to do that?"

"None, actually," said Sirius amusedly. "You would be the first. James would probably kill me if he knew I brought you down here."

"Why is that?"

"Oh, we Marauders like to keep our secrets. Much like yourself, I daresay. I know hardly anything about you, Isadora, except that you're an Angelline and that you transferred here from Beauxbatons."

"And that's all you need to know."

"All right, that's fine," said Sirius taking a bite of the food in front of him. "Why don't you tell me about what classes you're taking then?"

Isadora was surprised and pleased to discover that Remus was right about his friend. Once Sirius had stopped hitting on her, she actually had a good time with him. He gave her a lot of advice on getting through her fifth year classes and what to expect from the different professors. All in all, not a bad way to end the day, thought Isadora.

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"You know, Sirius, you've been really nice tonight," said Isadora when they had reached the portrait to Gryffindor tower an hour later. "You're not so bad when you act like a normal wizard."

He leaned in close to her. "So does that mean you want go find that broom closet again and ravish me."

Isadora was incensed. "What is wrong with you, Sirius Black?! I have made it very clear that I am not interested in you like that! Here you are acting like a nice, normal person, someone I could actually stand to spend time with! Someone I thought I could be friends with! Then you have to go and ruin it by acting like a total jerk and—"

Sirius cut her off by kissing her. She was so surprised she didn't have time to think. She just kissed him back. Sirius was cupping her tiny pixie like face with his hands. The kiss itself was a little hard and insistent, but that didn't mean it wasn't nice. After about ten seconds, Sirius pulled back. Still holding her face in his hands, he stared into her eyes and whispered, "I don't want to be your friend, Isadora."

Suddenly reality set in and Isadora did the first thing she thought to do. She slapped Sirius in the face, hard. "How dare you? I can't believe….you just…" She trailed off. After giving the password to the disgruntled fat lady she quickly ran inside and up to her dormitory.

Sirius was left fingering the stinging cheek that she had slapped. He chuckled to himself and smiled before following her through the portrait.

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When he reached his room, he was immediately assaulted by his fellow Marauders.

"All right, what happened?"

"What did you do, Sirius?"

"Geez, nice to see you too," said Sirius, throwing a napkin full of desserts at Peter, who looked like he was about to wet his pants. "Now, what the hell are you talking about?"

"We saw you on the map with Isadora in the broom closet!" said James.

"Tell me you didn't screw her, Sirius," said Remus wearily.

"Not that it's any of your business, Moony, but no I didn't."

Both Remus and James relaxed visibly. "Thank you, Merlin," said Remus. Peter just kept stuffing his face.

"All I did was kiss her," continued Sirius going to lay down on his bed. "It must not have been a very good kiss though, because she slapped me afterwards. What's the big deal anyways?"

"Look, Padfoot, mate, we talked to Lily tonight…" began James.

Remus continued, "…and she told us that Isadora is only thirteen years old."

Sirius fell out of the bed. "WHAT!!!" he yelled. "No, that's not possible," he said, getting up. "Just look at her. She looks….well…just look at her! She is very grown up…"

"Yeah we know, mate," said James.

"But Lily has no reason to lie to us about something like that," said Remus.

"No," continued Sirius. "I talked to Izzy tonight. She told me she was a fifth year. She was just ahead in some classes and that's why she's in some sixth year classes with us."

"She's ahead in ALL her classes," said Moony. "Apparently she's really smart and ahead by at least two years."

"No, I don't believe it," said a dazed Sirius.

"Sorry, Padfoot," said James. "I asked a third year. She's in their dorm, mate. I don't know why she didn't tell you."

"She didn't tell me," began Sirius, "because age doesn't matter to her and it doesn't matter to me either."

"Think about this, Sirius," said Remus. "I know she looks older, but she's only thirteen. You're about to turn seventeen. You're way too old for her. It would just be wrong and a little sleazy."

"I know, I just…I like her, Moony."

"C'mon," said James. "There are a hundred other girls in school that are your age and who would kill for a chance to screw you." Sirius just glowered at them and disappeared into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

"Do you think he'll listen to us?" asked Remus.

"No, Moony. I really don't."

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**PRETTY PLEASE CAN I GET SOME REVIEWS?!!!!**


	5. Little Bro

Chapter 5: Little Bro

Chapter 5: Little Bro

Isadora skipped breakfast the next morning and slept in. She wouldn't be able to face Sirius after the night before. And she didn't want Lily to find out about that kiss. Isadora knew that he was a big playboy and would probably end up breaking her heart. She thought it best if she just pretended that the kiss had never happened.

After she got dressed, she went downstairs and straight out the front door to take a walk outside. She went around the lake and after about twenty minutes, she found a secluded spot that was hidden from the castle by the forest trees.

Isadora sat down on the hard dirt ground and let her mind wander. She liked to get outside and just let go, not having to think about anything in particular. It felt good to be surrounded by nature. She supposed it had something to do with how pure everything felt when not tainted by people.

Isadora was startled out of her reverie by a familiar popping sound and telltale smell of smoke. Fawkes had come to join her. "Hello, there." He flew out from behind her and landed on her shoulder. She was pleased to see that the bird had sought out her company, obviously enjoying her presence as much as she did his.

She wanted to try something that she had done accidentally when she was younger, but she wasn't sure if she still could. Isadora decided to throw caution to the wind and give it a go. She looked into the phoenix's eyes for a minute. Her own violet ones blazed blue for a second and the phoenix took off, gliding low over the lake. She closed her eyes and she was there with him, looking out at the expanse of water.

Isadora gasped with delight. She had never asked Dumbledore about this little ability of hers, but she was fairly certain that this wasn't a common one. She figured it was just a side effect of her unusual magic.

Pushing such thoughts aside, Isadora decided to just go with it and enjoy the moment. She'd didn't know when she would get the chance again and so she just sat there for as long as she could, soaking it all in.

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An hour passed by quickly and Isadora decided to head back towards the castle. It must be lunch soon and she was hungry. Upon reaching the castle she looked up at the large clock and realized that she still had a half an hour. The lawn was crowded but she managed to find an unoccupied spot of shade under a tree. She pulled a book out of her bag and started reading. It wasn't long before a familiar voice said, "Hello, there. You're Isadora, right?"

She looked up to see a boy standing there. He was kind of cute in an untraditional sort of way. He had jet black hair, blue eyes, and looked to be about thirteen. He looked very familiar, like she'd seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't figure out where. The boy held out his hand to shake hers.

"I'm Regulus. Pleasure to meet you."

"Isadora, as you apparently know." She shook his hand. "Nice to meet you too."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, I guess." He sat down next to her beneath the shade of the tree. He was wearing regular robes since it was a Saturday, so she couldn't tell what house he was in. She asked him.

"Slytherin," he responded. "And you're a Gryffindor, right?"

"You seem to know an awful lot about me and all I know is your name and your house."

"Well, you're the exchange student, Isadora. The rumor mill is in overdrive gossiping about you."

"Oh, and what do they say?"

"They say that you're quiet, beautiful, smart, you speak French, you gave McGonagall hell on your first day here(something all of us have wanted to do), and that you're destined to be incredibly popular here at Hogwarts." Isadora blushed heartily and Regulus smiled softly.

"So, tell me about Beauxbatons. I've always wondered how other magical schools work."

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The Marauders had just finished an impromptu game of Quidditch on the pitch with some friends and decided to go lounge on the lawn before lunch. "Damn, did you see how fast I caught that snitch?" said James none too modestly.

"Did you see me knock Frank off his broom with that bludger?" said Sirius.

"Oh man, I just know our team's gonna win the cup this year. We could really use you as beater, Padfoot."

"Don't worry Prongs, you'll find someone tomorrow at tryouts. You know me, I'm not one to wake up early to come to practices anyways."

"Do you know how many girls would throw themselves at you if you were on the Quidditch team, Padfoot?" said Remus sarcastically.

"Unlike Prongs here, I don't need Quidditch to…" Sirius stopped short and stared at something across the lawn. The boys turned around to see what had caught his attention. "No, he wouldn't dare. That bitch wouldn't have told him to…" Sirius's words were lost as he stalked quickly across the lawn.

Remus spotted where he was headed and pointed it out to his friends. "Oh, crap," said James. "This is not going to turn out well." They quickly ran after Sirius, Peter struggling to keep up with the two taller boys.

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Sirius walked up to where Regulus was chatting with Isadora. The younger boy's eyes widened when he saw him approaching. Isadora barely had time to turn and look at him before Sirius grabbed Regulus's shirt and picked him up to his feet. "Hey there, Reggie."

"Sirius, what the hell?!" demanded Isadora.

"Izzy, stay out of this. It has nothing to do with you."

"Are you taking a piss?! Obviously it has something to do with me! You're not my boyfriend Sirius, I can talk to whoever I want!"

"No, Isadora, it's okay," said Regulus. "This is between me and him." James and Remus ran up, unsure of what to do. A crowd had started to form around the three of them.

"You're damn right it is, Regulus. What…did Mummy put you up to this?" Something clicked in Isadora's head. Of course…Regulus was Sirius's younger brother. That's why he looked so familiar. Sirius continued his taunting. "Did Mummy tell you who she was? Did she tell you to make friends with her and make her fall in love with you? Did Mummy tell you that the two of you would make the perfect little pureblooded family?"

Something inside Regulus snapped and he punched Sirius in the stomach. The crowd around them gasped. Sirius took the punch well, but it looked like he might double over for a second. He recovered quickly and continued his taunting, "Is that all you got? You think you can take me on, little bro?"

Regulus rushed his older brother but this time, Sirius was ready. He calmly stepped aside and Regulus went face first into the ground. Sirius looked down at him with a look of disgust on his face. "Are you gonna cry now, Reggie? Are you gonna run home to Mummy and tell her that big, bad Sirius beat you up?" Isadora felt sick to watch the scene play out in front of her.

Regulus jumped up and rushed at Sirius again. The older boy just swatted him away like a fly. Isadora could see Regulus's face and it did indeed look like he might cry. Regulus threw another punch at Sirius who just caught his hand in his. He grabbed his younger brother by the neck and got right in his face, talking in a deadly low tone. "I don't know what you or Mum, or your little Slytherin friends have planned, but you keep Izzy out of it. Stay away from her. Understand me, little brother?"

Then Sirius stepped back, swung his arm around and punched Regulus right in the face. As his fist made contact, everyone in the vicinity could hear the sickening crunch. Regulus hit the ground with a dull thud. Isadora had had enough. She stepped in front of Sirius and pushed him in the chest. Even though she was tiny, he wasn't ready for it and went back a few steps.

"How dare you, Sirius!"

"Isadora, you don't know what he's like. He's a lying, two-faced-"

"What I know Sirius, is that little display was disgusting. You're disgusting! Don't you ever speak to me again!"

She turned around to Regulus whose nose was gushing blood and was clearly broken. She helped him up, and walked him inside to the infirmary.

Sirius just stared coldly after them until his friends took his arms and dragged him back to the castle before a professor could come and investigate the commotion.

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Isadora and Regulus walked together to the Great Hall after leaving the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey had fixed up his nose in a jiffy.

"Hey, Regulus. I'm sorry about Sirius. He sort of fancies me."

"Don't apologize, Isadora. It's not your fault. It was just a thing between brothers." They had reached the Great Hall.

"Well, I guess I'll see you around, Regulus. Sorry again about your nose."

"Hey, Isadora. Do you want to eat lunch with me and my friends?"

"What? At the Slytherin table? Is that allowed?"

"Well, it is allowed, it just never happens."

"Well…all right then." Isadora followed him into the Great Hall. She couldn't bear to look over at the Gryffindor table. When they got to the Slytherin table, Regulus introduced her to his friends. She was surprised because they seemed so much older than him. She met a sallow faced sixth year boy with greasy hair named Severus Snape. He must have been the "Snivelly" that Sirius and James liked to hex. She was also introduced to a big, scary looking sixth year boy named Niles Avery and a handsome but creepy looking seventh year named Julian Mulciber. He in turn introduced Isadora to his girlfriend, a plain looking sixth year girl with a strange smile named Elisa Nott. After the introductions were made, Isadora sat down next to Regulus with her back to the Gryffindor table. She hadn't looked at Sirius when she walked in, but she could feel his eyes boring into the back of her head all throughout lunch.

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Before dinner, Isadora found the sixth year girls dormitory in Gryffindor tower and knocked lightly on the door. She heard someone say, 'come in' and opened the door cautiously.

Isadora poked her head in, "Hey, Lily." The red head was sitting on her bed, reading a book.

"Isadora, come in. There's no one else in here. I'm glad you stopped by." Isadora closed the door behind her, walked over to Lily, and sat down next to her on the bed. "I heard what happened outside earlier. And I saw you eating lunch at the Slytherin table."

"Yeah, well. I felt bad for Regulus. His nose was completely broken and bleeding pretty bad."

"Can I ask you something?" Isadora nodded. "What exactly is going on between you and Sirius? I heard he went crazy when he saw you talking to his brother."

"Yeah, well, Sirius definitely fancies me…"

"And?" prompted Lily.

"…and…well, he kind of kissed me last night after detention."

"WHAT!" screamed Lily. "That pig. He's almost four years older than you!"

"Relax, Lily. I don't really care about the age difference and neither should you. I've always been more mature than most people my age anyways."

"So what, now you're dating him?!"

"What? No! No, that's not what I meant. We are most certainly not dating."

"Good." Lily relaxed a little. "Isadora, you know that Sirius Black goes through girls like they're—"

"Yes, Lily, I know. He's a big playboy and all he'd do is break my heart. I can take care of myself, don't worry."

After a moment of silence, Lily spoke almost timidly, "I think you should go talk to him."

"What? To Sirius? Didn't you just say to stay away from him?"

"No. I said don't date him. Being friends with him is a different story. At lunch today…he looked real messed up over the whole thing, Isadora. I thought he was gonna break something when he saw you sitting with those people at the Slytherin table. I'm just saying that maybe you should hear him out. Whatever happened obviously had to do with his family and it's probably a pretty personal thing. Maybe you should just give him a chance." Isadora was silent and thoughtful for a minute. "Isadora? About those people you were sitting with at lunch?"

"Are you angry about that?"

"No, I understand why you did it. I just think you need to be careful. I don't know about Regulus, but some of those people he was sitting with, like Avery and Mulciber…they're not nice people. James and Sirius can be mean sometimes…but not like them. They're just…cruel," finished Lily.

After a couple of minutes, Isadora gave Lily a hug. "Thanks Lily, you're a good friend." She stood up to leave. "I guess I better go get ready for dinner." Lily gave her a weak smile before she left.

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The next afternoon, Isadora found herself walking towards the castle instead of towards the Quidditch pitch where plenty of people had gathered to watch the Gryffindor team tryouts. Her thoughts wandered to Sirius. Seeing him in the Great Hall wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. There was no yelling and no fights. They just sort of pretended that the other wasn't there. Isadora wasn't sure what they were going to do in Potions on Monday. She let thoughts of Sirius drift from her mind as she reached her destination. She looked at the stone gargoyle in front of her and told him, "twizzler." She thought it must have been some muggle candy she had never heard of before. Albus Dumbledore always did love his candy.

She rose higher on the moving stone steps and found that the door was already open. "Good afternoon, Isadora."

She walked into the office and saw Dumbledore sitting serenely behind the desk and his phoenix, Fawkes, on his perch beside it. She went over to the bird and stroked his beak. "'Lo, Fawkes. Good to see you again."

"Won't you please sit down? I had some tea brought up." She looked at him warily but took the proffered cup and sat down in the seat across from him. "So. You've caused quite a stir your first week here."

Isadora groaned audibly, "You heard about what happened yesterday."

"Oh, yes. I'm afraid, my dear, that gossip travels faster than a Hungarian Horntail, even amongst the professors. I heard that Sirius Black broke his younger brother's nose and that you were somehow involved."

"Not exactly. I was just sort of there. I had been talking to Regulus and Sirius didn't like it. I'm not sure why…but there was definitely something else going on between the two of them. Sirius told me earlier this week that he moved out of his parent's house. I doubt that he and his brother have a good relationship as a result…especially if he left their house recently." Isadora looked up at Dumbledore for confirmation of this. He inclined his head ever so slightly in her direction.

"Yes. It happened just this past summer, in fact. Mr. and Mrs. Potter sent me an owl when Sirius showed up on their doorstep. Oh, they were perfectly willing to take him in. They just wanted to make sure that it would be all right for them to do so. I spoke with Mrs. Walburga Black, whom you've met I believe, but alas, she seemed as unwilling to have her son back as he was to go back to her." He seemed thoughtful for a second. "I'm not surprised that Sirius Black has gravitated towards you. He seems to have had as much trouble as you in reconciling his relationship with his pureblooded status."

Isadora shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. Whether Dumbledore sensed this or simply decided to change the topic on a whim, she wasn't sure. She was however, grateful when he asked her a different question. "So, what did you think of Regulus Black and his friends? I saw you sitting with them at lunch yesterday."

"Is that all right? He told me—"

"I assure you that it is perfectly acceptable to sit at other house tables at meal times. I daresay I would like to see it happen more often. Please, continue."

"Well…Regulus…he seemed nice enough. He was perfectly kind to me. I could tell he really wanted to outdo Sirius though, and that had nothing to do with me." Dumbledore nodded but said nothing. "It's just…well…his friends didn't actually seem like friends. It seemed more like he was their house elf, like he would have done anything they asked. Those people we sat with: Avery, Mulciber, Snape…well, what do you think of them, Albus?"

Dumbledore paused for a second. "I would say that I should like to hear what you think of them. You are, after all, the one who got to know them, if only for a brief amount of time."

Isadora sighed exasperatedly. "They made it a point to welcome me. They complimented me…told me how much they respected me and my family name…"

"But?" prompted Dumbledore.

"But I get the idea that there was some other reason they wanted me there. That Regulus was ordered to bring me to them. It was as if they were trying to suss something out, get something out of me. They kept talking about the purity of blood and how they hated muggle born witches and wizards."

"And what did you say?"

"Nothing. I mostly just nodded and smiled at them. You know I don't believe in those antiquated ideas, Albus. I simply thought it wise not to cause any more trouble." Isadora pursed her lips. "I don't know. Maybe I'm being paranoid. It is a little ridiculous to think that Regulus approached me yesterday simply to bring me to his friends. And that they want something from me…" Isadora trailed off, thinking about what Sirius had said to Regulus the day before. How he had accused his younger brother of something more sinister involving Isadora. "I don't know. Do you think my suspicions about them are right, Albus?"

"As I said before, Isadora, you are the one that got to know them. I am inclined to trust your good judgment in this matter. Merlin knows that your sensibilities have surpassed mine before, even when you were a child."

A thoughtful look descended over Isadora's face, similar to the one that Dumbledore often wore. "I think that Lily Evans would agree with me if I told her. She called Regulus's friends cruel."

After that, they had nothing more to say. A quiet enveloped the room. All that could be heard was the rustling of feathers and the occasional clink of a teacup.


	6. Understandings

**Chapter 6: Understandings**

A few days later after Charms, Isadora practically ran to the Great Hall. She had overslept that morning and missed breakfast again. She really had to stop doing that. Upon arrival, she found Lily, Alice, Erica, and the Marauders all gossiping about the Quidditch tryouts the day before. When Isadora arrived, she quickly joined in the conversation. She noticed that Sirius went silent when she came up.

"James, you're the captain, right?"

"Of course I am. I'm one of the best chasers the team has had in years."

"Don't be so modest, Potter," said Lily bitterly.

Isadora tried to break the uncomfortable air around them after that comment. "So, James, you found some good players?"

"Yeah…well, we have Erica as chaser, Alice as seeker and Frank Longbottom has been our keeper for years. We also have seventh year Kingsley Shacklebolt as beater. So yesterday we found a third year girl who'll make a fair chaser, not as good as Alice and Erica mind you, but she'll get better. We also found a fourth year boy to play beater. His aim is on only about 75 percent of the time, but damn, can he smack that bludger hard!"

Isadora giggled at James' enthusiasm, "Sounds like your all set then."

"Yeah, that cup is definitely gonna be ours. Slytherin won't know what hit 'em."

The truth of the matter was that Isadora didn't really know much about Quiddictch. She knew that the game ended when the little gold ball was caught and that certain people on the team scored other points with a quaffle, but she really wasn't sure how it all worked. Thankfully, it was time for afternoon classes and there was no time for her knowledge to be tested.

Isadora followed the group to the library, where their potions class was to be held. This was to be the last class before they would have to make their potions from memory and hand in their written work. When they walked in, Professor Slughorn was already there. He grunted, "You know what to do," and then went off to go do some work.

Isadora and Sirius reluctantly found a table together.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked wearily.

"Umm…well, if you could find me this book in the stacks," Isadora said as she wrote down a title on a piece of parchment and handed it to him. "It should be just back there." He took the parchment and sulked off. Fantastic, thought Isadora. How can I make things even more awkward between Sirius and I next? He returned with the book and sat back down. She flipped open to the page she needed and started taking notes.

After a couple of minutes, she became aware of him looking at her. Not staring, just looking. She turned her face up to his. He quickly looked at the desk sheepishly. "Umm…is there anything I can help you with Izzy?" She sighed. As much as she wanted to yell at him for calling her Izzy, she just couldn't. He looked so miserable. She knew that as far as Sirius Black was concerned, the nickname Izzy was just something that she would have to resign herself to.

"Sirius, this isn't going to work."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you Izzy. It just slipped out."

"No, that's not what I mean. We can't work like this."

"I know you hate me but I don't think Slughorn will let us change partners."

She sighed exasperatedly, "I don't hate you, Sirius."

He looked up hopefully. "But you said—"

"I know what I said Sirius. The truth is I don't think you're disgusting—"

"Excuse me!" said Madam Pince. "Students are trying to work!" Isadora and Sirius quickly pretended to start working. When Pince was gone he grabbed her hand and quickly dragged her to the back of the library behind some rarely used stacks.

"Look, Pixie, I'm so sorry. I just sort of panicked when I saw you talking with Regulus. I told you I moved out. Me and him didn't have the best relationship to begin with and it's even worse now…I don't want to talk about it, but it's part of the reason I reacted the way I did. That, and the fact that I was jealous. I can't stand the thought of you with him—"

"Sirius," said Isadora firmly. "Slow down a second. I understand that there must be something going on between you and your brother. You don't have to explain it to me. It's probably very personal. I didn't mean what I said about you on Saturday. My temper just got the better of me. And just so you know," she took a deep breath, "there's nothing going on between Regulus and I. Never was, never will be. We were just talking."

Sirius looked deep into her violet eyes with his piercing grey ones. He gently took her by the waist, pressed up against her, and bent slowly towards her. At the last second, she turned her face to the side so that his lips missed hers. His face got buried in her neck, but he didn't mind so much. Her arms went involuntarily around his neck. He inhaled her scent deeply. She smelled a little like the outdoors, the lake maybe, and there was a slight smell of burnt feathers, which confused him. He also liked her perfume. It was spicy, but soft, not overpowering. When he let out his breath, it was as a sigh. "Why not?" he whispered.

"I don't feel that way about you," she said just as softly.

"I don't believe you."

She gave him a light hug and a soft peck on the cheek. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "I won't give in, Sirius."

"Yes, you will." He smiled gently. "You'll see." Isadora was shaken by his response, but managed to disentangle herself from his neck. As she turned to walk away, he stopped her. "Hey, Izzy."

She turned around. "Yes?"

"I meant what I said the other day. There's a good chance that Regulus or his buddies are interested in you as more than just a friend. They might want something else from you…something to do with the fact that you're a pureblood. Some of the people that they associate with outside of school…just be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry, Sirius. I can take care of myself." But as she walked away, she couldn't help but be reminded of something that Dumbledore had told her that first time she went up to his office. He had told her that there were other people outside of the ministry that he was worried about, people who would try and use her for her money and political power. Were Mulciber, Avery, and Snape somehow connected to those people? Was Dumbledore trying to warn her to stay away from them?


	7. Discoveries

**Chapter 7: Discoveries**

After that day, everything went back to normal. Well, as normal as Sirius's and Isadora's relationship could be. He still flirted inappropriately with her at times but it didn't seem to bother her as much anymore. Most of the time, she would just roll her eyes and push him off her. It was only very rarely that she would yell at him or hit him.

Most of the following month, Isadora just spent her time adjusting to Hogwarts. She got used to the classes and the professors and she even made new friends. Not many though, most of them were too scared of her. Those girls that weren't afraid to talk to her were pretty shallow and self-centered and Isadora quickly leaned to avoid these types of people. It didn't really bother her though. Most of her time was spent with Lily, Alice, Erica, and the Marauders.

Isadora quickly become known as one of the "Marauder's Girls." This title had nothing to do with whether or not one was actually dating a Marauder. In the same way that no one went after Lily Evans for fear of what James Potter would have done to them in retaliation, no one went after Isadora Angelline for fear of Sirius Black. (The fear of Sirius being exceptionally stronger since he so effectively put down his little brother that day on the lawn) If either Lily or Isadora knew just how untouchable they were to the rest of the male population of Hogwarts, they probably would have protested. Fortunately for James and Sirius however, word never got back to them.

As for Sirius himself, despite his professed attachment to Isadora, he acted just as much the playboy as ever, albeit, a bit more quietly than usual. He flat out refused to take girls out on dates in public. He only saw those girls who were willing to have a quickie in a broom closet or a quiet snogging session in an empty classroom, things he did quite frequently when Isadora wasn't around to catch him at it.

Things changed slightly however, when the first Hogsmeade weekend came around in October. Although the girls and the Marauders had all gone down to the village together, somehow Sirius and Isadora ended up alone at the Shrieking Shack. She had never been to Hogsmeade before and was dying to see the most haunted place in Britain. Sirius tried to be as mysterious about the whole thing as possible.

"They say that no less than twenty ghouls haunt this building."

"I wish we could come out here at night and hear if there really is all the screaming that people say there is."

"I hear that the screaming gets especially bad around the full moon," said Sirius, producing a licorice wand from inside of his robes and handing it to a grateful Isadora, who started chewing on the end. "At least the ghouls don't stray too far from the shack."

"What do you mean? I thought that ghosts only haunt one place and that they can't leave it?

"Oh, that's ghosts, Izzy. Ghouls are different," said Sirius spookily. He put his arm around her and leaned in close. His voice became very low. "They can go wherever they want. They're very sneaky too. One of them could be behind us right now and we wouldn't even know it."

Isadora burst out laughing. She pushed Sirius away from her but he just grabbed her and started tickling her. "No, Sirius! Please, stop. Stop! I give up!" He stopped tickling her, but he still had his arms around her. He looked into Isadora's eyes and waggled his eyebrows at her. She was about to protest their position when he suddenly picked up her tiny form, threw her over his shoulder, and started walking towards the Shrieking Shack. "What? No! Sirius are you crazy?! We can't go near that thing," she said through giggles.

"Oh c'mon, little Pixie. Are you telling me that you're afraid of a few ghouls?"

"Sirius!"

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Meanwhile, back at the Three Broomsticks, Lily, James, Remus, and Peter were having a Butterbeer. "So, Evans," said James, "Not that I mind you hanging out with us all day, quite the contrary. But, where, may I ask, are the other girls?"

"Well, Alice and Erica spent the day with their boyfriends. And Isadora…" Lily trailed off quizzically.

"I think the next question we should be asking," said Remus dryly, "is where is Sirius?"

"Well," said Lily, "the last time I noticed Isadora still with us was in Honeydukes."

"That's about the last time I spotted Padfoot, as well," said James.

"You don't think those two are…" began Remus.

"No," said Lily firmly. "Isadora would tell me if they so much as kissed."

"Yeah, but it doesn't stop them flirting like a couple of…things that flirt," said James.

"Very eloquent, Potter."

"All I know," said Remus, "is that we should really nip this thing in the bud."

"I'm not sure that there is anything that we need to be nipping. I really think that they're just good friends," argued Lily.

"Not likely," said Remus. "Did you see the birthday present she gave him last week?"

"She told me she got him a box of Fillibuster's."

James snorted. "Not just any Fillibuster's, Lily. They were a box of these really limited edition fireworks that she had shipped in from France. They really were quite spectacular. We set them off right outside the Slytherin common room."

Lily glared at him. "Well, she's lived in France, right? It probably wasn't that big of a deal for her to get a hold of them."

"I don't care," said Remus. "I know he likes her and he just has no self control when it comes to a pretty girl. And girls can't usually control themselves around him."

"I can, why not Isadora?"

"It's different, Lily. She's thirteen."

"So? She's friends with us. We hang out with her everyday. Has she ever acted like a typical thirteen year old, Remus?"

"I don't care how old she seems. Sirius is seventeen. It would just be wrong if they got together."

"Would it, though?"

"I never thought I'd see the day, Lily. You? The champion of Sirius Black?"

"It's not like that, Remus…I just see the way he acts around her. I don't think he's interested in just a quick shag. If they genuinely like each other, who are we to say that it's wrong or bad?"

"How can you say that? It's not like he hasn't stopped shagging every girl he could since he met her."

"Moony, I agree with Lily." Remus stared at James like he had three heads. "C'mon. Have you ever seen Padfoot act this way around a girl? I mean, he's actually being discreet with who he hooks up with. I've certainly never seen him change his habits for a girl before this. I think he could really like Isadora. I don't think we should interfere. Besides, even if we did, would it make a difference? He all but told us that he wasn't going to back off Isadora." Remus was silent. Lily smiled gratefully at James for his support. Suddenly, the last person they ever expected to approach them sat down at their table.

"Hi, James," said the bubbly voice of Amber Lee. James just stared at her quizzically. "Have you seen Sirius?"

"Uhhh…no. Any particular reason why?"

"He's said he'd meet me here for a drink."

"When?"

"Oh, just a few weeks ago."

Lily knew that trouble was coming. This was confirmed when Sirius and Isadora walked in the door, giggling. His arm was around her shoulders and he was whispering in her ear. Amber's back was to them and Lily tried gesturing frantically, but discreetly at James to let him know what was about to happen. He, however, was trying to convincingly answer Amber's question's about Sirius's whereabouts. Remus saw all that was going on, just shook his head, and groaned.

Sirius approached the table with Isadora behind him. He set down the two butterbeers he had purchased and began to greet his friends, when he noticed Amber.

"Amber, what are you…?" He was cut off as Amber jumped up and squealed his name. She threw her arms around his neck.

"Oh Siri, you already got me a drink."

"Amber, what the hell are you talking about?" said Sirius removing her arms from his neck.

"We had a date, Siri. You don't remember?"

Sirius glanced down and saw the quizzical look on Isadora's face and figured that this was better handled in private. "Amber, come here." He grabbed her arm and pulled her outside to set her straight.

Isadora sat down at the table. "Hey, guys," she said forcefully.

"Merlin, I'm so sorry, Isadora," said Lily.

"Sorry about what?" she snapped back.

"Well…that thing with Sirius."

"Oh that? Don't be. Are you surprised? He can screw whoever he wants to. It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything." Isadora sounded tough but everyone could tell that she was pissed off.

"Hey," said Lily. "You wanna go back to the common room?"

"Yeah, let's get out of here." They said goodbye to the boys and left.

James looked at Remus and said, "Do not say I told you so, Moony."

After a minute, Sirius returned, minus one blonde bimbo. He took one look at the two full butterbeers and said, "She left, didn't she? Was she angry?"

"She said no, but I'm pretty sure she was mate," said James.

"Really? Like, really, really angry?

"Umm…kind of. Are you happy about that?"

"A little, yeah," said Sirius, grinning. "She told me she doesn't like me like that, but if she's angry, that means that she's jealous. And that means I still have a shot."

"Wow, Padfoot. Your logic astounds me."

"And where does Amber fit into this little equation?" said Remus inquisitively.

"What's it to you, Moony?" said Sirius defensively. "Look, Amber doesn't mean anything to me and she knows it. I'm sure she was jabbering my ear off one day and I must've agreed to a date with her without realizing it."

"Sirius," said Remus resignedly. "If you really like Isadora, then fine. You have my blessing. But if you just fancy her because she's unattainable, then back off now. You'll just get bored after you've screwed her and then you'll have completely messed up an innocent thirteen year old girl."

"You know what, Moony? You just don't give Isadora enough credit. She's tougher than you think."

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In fact, Isadora was quite pissed at Sirius, though she didn't want to admit to herself why. She told Lily repeatedly that she wasn't angry at him, that he could screw whoever he wanted to. The older girl wasn't convinced, but wisely chose not to pursue the subject.

A couple of days later in potions, Isadora and Sirius were working on their Amortentia potion. "Sirius, can you please try and focus? This is our last time to practice making the potion before the test."

"How can I? You're just so beautiful, Izzy," he said, leaning in close.

"Bugger off," she said, pushing him away. "Shouldn't you be focusing your attentions on your little blonde bimbo girlfriend?"

"Awww…Pixie. Are you still jealous about that? I told you, that Amber and I are finished."

"I don't care. And I'm not jealous. Does this look like the right color to you? It seems too white, not really a sheen." She smelled it. She could identify the smell of grass and a familiar cologne…oh crap, she thought.

"What do you smell?" asked Sirius with a grin.

"Nothing of consequence."

Sirius then bent down and whispered in her ear, "You know what I smell? The lake, burnt feathers, and your lovely perfume. Though I must say, I still can't place why I associate burnt feathers with you."

Isadora's face turned red and she pushed him away. "C'mon, Sirius, just lay off."

Sirius seemed satisfied with the rise he got out of her and worked quietly on the potion for the rest of class.

At the end of class, Isadora muttered a goodbye to Sirius and quickly gathered her books together to take back to the library. On the way out of the classroom, she saw Peter Pettigrew struggling with a stack of books. She stopped to help him.

"Hey, Peter."

"Hi, Isadora."

"Are you returning any of those to the library? I'm on my way up there, I can take some if you like?"

"Sure, that'd be great. Thanks, Isadora," he said as he tipped a few books on top of her stack.

When Isadora got up to the library, she set the books on the desk in front of Madam Pince. As she turned around to leave though, Madam Pince stopped her. "Excuse me, dear. This must be yours." Madam Pince held up a piece of yellowed parchment which she handed to Isadora. "It was stuck in between these two books."

"Thanks." Isadora took the piece of parchment and left the library. She had seen this piece of parchment before. It was the same one that James and Sirius were looking at that first week of potions class. If Peter was the one who had it with his books, then Isadora was sure that it had something to do with the Marauders. Sirius had said they had a lot of secrets. Maybe this was one of them?

Isadora went straight up to her dormitory to try and figure it out. She tried every spell that she could think of to get whatever it was to reveal itself. She worked straight through dinner. Eventually, after tons of useless spells, she started trying stupid things like, "I am a Marauder," or, "I cause mischief." Nothing sounded right though. She figured it must be something personal, a saying, or a quote that they used.

She thought back to everything that she had ever heard the boys say. She shifted through her memories, recalling obscure conversations, offhand remarks…suddenly it hit her. Something that Sirius had said when she had given him his birthday present of Fillibuster's Fireworks. She had asked him what he planned on doing with them. He had flashed her one of his devastating grins, winked and mysteriously said…

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good." As dark lines began to fill the page and the parchment began unfolding, Isadora realized just what it was she had and smiled. "Bloody fantastic."

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	8. Pranking the Pranksters

**Chapter 8: Pranking the Pranksters**

The next day, Isadora was still in a state of shock. She knew that what she had was the secret to the Marauder's success. The map was the reason why they could sneak out whenever they wanted to and how they managed to prank the Slytherin common room so often without getting caught. How could she just give the map back to them without having a little fun first? But what should she do with it?

The answer came to her later that week as she and Lily were walking out to the grounds to sit and do homework. Her friend muttered a curse and looked off at something behind Isadora. "There they go again."

"Who?" asked Isadora. As she turned around though, she saw what Lily was referring to. A little ways away, a crowd had formed around James Potter and Sirius Black, both of whom were tormenting Severus Snape with various hexes.

"Oh," said Isadora. "I don't know. Snape is a bit of a prat. I don't feel that badly for him."

"Isadora!"

"What?"

"I don't think he's that wonderful either, but that doesn't give Potter and Black the right to hex whomever they please, whenever they want to."

"Then why don't you go do something about it, Miss Prefect?" Lily pursed her lips, but made no move to go over and discipline the boys. Isadora gave in. "All right, what do you say we do something else about it, then?"

"Something like what?"

"Something like, giving them a taste of their own medicine..."

"Two wrongs do not make a right, Isadora."

"Fine, then. I'll just do it myself." With that, Isadora looked down to continue doing her homework. After a few moments, she gave herself a small smile when she realized that Lily wasn't going to voice an argument. 'Maybe that girl has a little mischief in her after all?' she thought.

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That day at lunch she sat with Lily, Alice, and Erica. However, the entire time she was pretending to listen to her friends, she was actually listening intently to the conversation that the Marauders were having a few seats down. They were talking about leaving some Filibuster's out for some unsuspecting Slytherin's on their way to dinner that night. Isadora knew exactly what to do.

After she left class that evening, she ran straight for a secret passage she had found on the map. It was on the fourth floor, behind a mirror. She hid there, pulled out the Marauders Map and looked for the boys. She found them on the first floor, walking towards the Great Hall. There they were: James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew (Remus Lupin wasn't usually involved in these sorts of pranks).

Isadora watched the three boys as they stopped walking...there was no one else in the hallway next to them. She figured that that was the spot they were planning to deposit the fireworks. She stuffed the map in her bag, ran out of the passage and booked it down to the first floor.

The Marauders were gone and she found the suit of armor that they had hidden the fireworks behind. It looked like she still had a couple of minutes before they went off. Isadora stuffed them into her pocket and ran to the Great Hall. As she neared it, she slowed down and tried to act as nonchalantly as she could. She spotted Lily and the girls and started walking towards them. As she passed by Sirius and James, she discreetly reached into her pocket, grabbed the fireworks and threw them underneath the bench they were sitting on.

Isadora continued on to her girlfriends, sat down, and pretended like nothing had happened. A couple of minutes later, she realized that things had turned out better than she thought they would. The fireworks went off right underneath Sirius and James and they jumped five feet into the air. The best part about it was that when the fireworks went off, they took the shape of red, white, and pink hearts. The girls all almost died laughing. As they were about to fall off of the bench, Lily caught Isadora's eye and gave her a quizzical look. Isadora just looked at her, gave her a wink and hit the floor in between gales of laughter.

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That night, back in the boy's dorm, the four Marauders were arguing furiously.

"What the hell happened down there?" asked Remus.

"Those were the fireworks that we hid in the corridor so that the Slytherin's would walk into them on the way to dinner," said Sirius.

"Someone must have followed us, taken them and stuck them underneath our bench at dinner," said James.

"Not possible," said Sirius. "Wormtail was keeping watch." All three boys rounded on Peter.

"I was watching. I swear. I was looking around the corner the whole time. No one was there."

"How could somebody have known what you three were doing, and where you were hiding the fireworks?" said Remus.

"I can think of one way…" said Sirius. "Umm…who has the map? I know I haven't seen it in a few days." James, Remus, and Sirius immediately started bickering.

"I didn't have it last week."

"I gave it to you five days ago."  
"But then I gave it back."

"No, you gave it to him."

"No, I gave it to…"

The three boys stopped and turned around to stare at their friend Peter, who looked frightened and nervous. "WORMTAIL!!!"

"What did you do with the map?" asked Sirius in a deadly low voice.

"Ummm…I'm not too sure."

"What? Are you kidding?" said James. "If that map falls into the wrong hands…people could find out all the secret passages we know…we could get into serious trouble for having it!"

"Are you two crazy?!" said Remus, looking pale. "If someone actually has that map, they could use it to find out where we go every month! And then everyone would know that I'm a…a were…" he trailed off, looking sullen.

"Don't worry, Moony," said James, patting his friend on the back. "We're not even sure that the map is gone. It could just be in the pile of rubbish under Peter's bed."

"Think about it, Moony," said Sirius. "Even in the highly unlikely event that someone actually found the map, they would then have to figure out how exactly to open it. I can't think of anyone clever enough to do that."

After that, the boys tore apart their room searching for the map, but to no avail. After an hour long search, they concluded that there was no way the map was there. They still had a half an hour before curfew and so they decided to go and search all the places that they had class the past few days.

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Meanwhile, Isadora was holed up in her dormitory's bathroom. Her roommates must have thought she was crazy. She had been there for the past hour, working on a special potion she had been brewing up for the Marauders. Beside her was the Marauder's Map, which she occasionally glanced at to see where the boys were. Isadora figured that if she was going to prank the Marauders, she might as well do more than plant some silly little fireworks on them.

Isadora saw movement on the map out of the corner of her eye. Sure enough, the four boys she had been watching were leaving their dorm. She watched as they walked through the common room and out of the portrait hole. She looked at the clock and saw that she had half an hour to do what she needed to do. She took the potion, ran out of the bathroom past her stunned roommates and went down to the common room. She looked around to make sure no one was watching her and snuck surreptitiously up to the boy's dormitory.

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The next morning, Isadora made sure to get to breakfast bright and early. She found Lily, Alice, and Erica there already. She smiled merrily at them. "Good morning, ladies."

"What's with you?" asked Alice.

"Yeah," said Lily. "You look like the hippogriff who ate the ferret."

"Oh, nothing," said Isadora mysteriously, and began to dig into her breakfast.

The other girls just looked at each other and shrugged. They started talking about the potions projects that they were doing that week. Isadora couldn't wait to see the results of her little potion project the night before. By the end of breakfast, she got her wish.

In walked the four Marauders, single file, sour expressions on their face. Everyone in the Great Hall turned to look at them and began laughing and giggling. The reason for the outburst was on the top of the boy's heads. All four boys had strikingly bright colored hair in varying neon shades of pink, red, purple, and blue. For the second time in as many days, Isadora, Lily, Alice, and Erica fell off of their seats in an extreme case of giggles.


	9. Secrets Revealed

Chapter 9: Secrets Revealed

Chapter 9: Secrets Revealed

For the next three weeks or so, Isadora immensely enjoyed tormenting the boys. She didn't bother pranking them outright again, but anytime they had something planned, it always managed to get bungled. And their hair had only recently started to fade back to their normal colors. Eventually, they just gave up pranking for the time being, at least until they could figure out who it was that was tormenting them. The boys had discussed at length who the culprit could be, but they couldn't come up with any likely answers. They had all agreed at this point however, that whoever the person was, they definitely had the map and they definitely knew how to use it. Their sense of panic was not as pronounced anymore, though. They figured that if someone were going to turn them in, they would have done so already.

Meanwhile, the person that was so elusive to them wasn't sure what she would do. Isadora thought that she had tortured the boys long enough, but what came next? Should she just admit what she did? Should she just leave the map in their dormitory one day? These were the questions she was pondering one night as she lay awake in bed, unable to sleep.

Out of habit, she reached into the drawer next to her bed and pulled out the map that had become so familiar to her over the past month. She whispered, "Lumos," and a light appeared over the parchment. She glanced over the map, not expecting to find anything interesting, but was pleasantly surprised when she saw that none of the Marauders were in their dormitory. Where could they be?

She scoured the map, but it didn't seem like they were in the castle. She started examining the grounds and after a couple of minutes, she found them on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. What were they doing there? She looked at the labeled dots and they seemed to be moving far too quickly.

Isadora extinguished her light, threw on her robe, and went down to the Gryffindor common room. She looked at the map again, saw the four moving dots, and figured out which window she should look out to find them. When she looked out the window though, all she saw was black. She had to blink a few times and squint before she could make out the trees in the Forbidden Forest. She tried to look for people wandering the grounds but couldn't see any. What she did see, however, were three large animals. She looked at the map again and sure enough, the movement of the animals corresponded with the movement of the labeled dots.

Isadora's first thought was that she was going mad. Her second thought was a bit more rational. It couldn't be? The only plausible explanation was that they were all animagi. She looked more closely at the animal shapes and gasped. One of them was definitely a werewolf. She recognized it from one of her D.A.D.A. textbooks.

If one of them was a werewolf though, what was up with the rest of them? Did they just happen to figure out how to become animagi before they were even seventeen? Were they unregistered? Why were they doing it? To hang out with their friend who happened to be a werewolf? Which one of them was a werewolf anyways?

Isadora sat back onto one of the couches stunned. After thinking about it for a half an hour or so, she heard a noise behind her and realized that the boys would probably be coming back. She stuffed the map into a pocket in her robe and picked up a stray Quibbler on the table. She quickly transformed her face to the one that she used at all of the Ministry and pureblood parties that she went to. Isadora had the ability to look cold as ice when she wanted to. She figured that that was the effect she wanted to give right now if she was going to get out of this without getting caught red-handed.

Sirius, James, and Peter walked into the common room laughing and joking. They stopped short when they saw Isadora on a couch, reading a magazine.

"Oh. Hello, boys," she said cheerfully. The three of them just stood there shell shocked. She looked at them and realized that Remus was missing. He must have been the werewolf. Isadora steeled herself though and didn't let on that anything was amiss. "What are you doing out so late?"

Sirius was the first to recover. "Oh, you know, Izzy. Just causing a little mischief…setting up some pranks for tomorrow."

"Really? You boys swear you're up to no good?" She smiled at the dumbstruck looks on their faces. Without missing a beat, Isadora dropped the magazine on the table, got up from the couch and walked up to her dormitory. On her way up the steps she looked over her shoulder and gave the boys a soft but sultry, "Good night."

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"It has to be her! She must be the one who has the map!" James practically shouted.

"Will you shut up Prongs, and let me think?" said Sirius.

"How can you be so calm?! Moony is going to freak when he finds out. If she was waiting down there for us, that means she knows about his furry little problem!" Peter just sat there looking green and worried.

"Look, Prongs, we don't know anything yet. All we know is that it is very likely that Isadora has our map. But to be honest, we can't even be sure about that. And even if she does have the map, we don't know that she knows exactly what we were doing tonight."

"Well, what are we going to do about it?" said James. "I don't fancy just walking up to her and saying, 'Hey, have you been pranking us? Do you have our highly illegal map? Oh, and do you know that Moony is a werewolf?!'" finished James in a high pitched voice.

"I'm hardly suggesting such a witless course of action," drawled Sirius. The truth of the matter was, he was sort of impressed with Isadora. She had been acting almost as sneaky as the Marauders. "If Izzy was going to turn us in about the map, she would have done so already. And as far as the furry little problem is concerned, I think she'll keep her mouth shut for now. At least until we confront her about it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Just a feeling I have. Don't worry about Isadora, Prongsie. I'll take care of her."

"And how exactly are you going to do that?"

"Don't fret. I know how to talk to her. You just worry about that Quidditch match coming up in a few hours. I would really like to see Slytherin slaughtered." With that, he changed into his pajamas and got into his bed. The two other boys stared at him wordlessly for a minute before going to their own beds too.

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The boys overslept on account of their late night activities. When they finally woke up, there was a furious scramble on James's part to get ready for the Quidditch match. He threw on his robes, didn't bother showering, and ran out the door at breakneck speed. The other two boys took their time, seeing as how they would only be spectators at the event.

After they got ready, they made their way downstairs. They stopped at the kitchens to get some toast from the house elves. On their way out to the Quidditch pitch, Peter finally asked the question he had been dying to ask. "So, uh, Padfoot? How exactly are you gonna get Isadora to admit she took the map without asking her outright?"

"Let's just say I know how to make her squirm."

"What do you mean?"

"The trick to getting someone to admit things is to make them very uncomfortable. Make them think that they aren't in control of the situation anymore."

"She seemed like she was in control last night."

"One on one with me and she loses it, Wormtail. She's just like every other girl. I'm pretty good at making her nervous."

"I know she likes you as a friend, Padfoot. But every time you try to flirt with her, she just looks like she wants to smack you."

"All an act, mate. Just wait and see."

Peter shrugged but didn't respond. He didn't think that Isadora was just like all the other girls. She had never seemed to fall for Sirius's charms, but he wouldn't try telling his friend that.

When they reached the Quidditch pitch, the two boys saw that the match was about to start. Sirius scanned the crowd and spotted Isadora sitting with Lily. "Well, I'll see you later, Wormtail. I don't think you should come over there. You'll get too jumpy around Isadora and give me away."

Peter nodded his head in agreement and went to go find a seat on the opposite end of the Quidditch pitch. Sirius walked towards where the girls were sitting, climbed the tower, and sat down right behind Isadora just as the whistle blew and the match started. The girl turned around when she felt someone's presence behind her. When she saw it who it was that sat down, Isadora smiled.

"Why, good morning, Sirius. You're looking well rested, all things considered."

"You didn't get much sleep last night either if I remember correctly. And yet, you're just as lovely as ever, Izzy." He grinned cockily at her, almost daring her to respond.

Isadora started to say something but stopped. Whatever she expected Sirius to do, it wasn't this. He was far too calm and collected for someone who should be panicking. She knew all their secrets for Merlin's sake. Maybe he and the boys didn't connect the dots? Maybe they hadn't got her subtle hint about how to open the map? No, they weren't that stupid. Isadora didn't know what game Sirius was playing at, but she could play too. She had years of practice putting on a show for her pureblooded peers and she was determined to give him a run for his money.

Isadora held her head up high, gave a small smile and a giggle and said, "You should know better, Black. It'll take more than simple flattery to win over a girl like me." With that, she turned around to watch the game.

Sirius was impressed. Isadora knew how to handle herself in a sticky situation. She was almost as good at putting on a show as he was. He smirked and looked up to watch the game as well.

After ten minutes, Alice scored the first goal of the game against a furious Mulciber. All the Gryffindors stood up and cheered. Sirius noticed that Isadora jumped up about a beat after everyone else did. When they sat back down, he looked intently at her. He could just see the side of her face as she was straining to look at the other end of the pitch. Her eyes were darting back and forth as if she wasn't sure where to look.

Sirius grinned and leaned down to whisper in her ear, "You don't know what's going on, do you?"

Isadora jumped a little and blushed heartily. She turned to him after glancing at her friend because she was too embarrassed to let Lily know about her lack of knowledge about the game. (Not that it mattered anyways because Lily was far to engrossed in the game to even realize that Sirius was there.) His face was still right next to Isadora's and she whispered to him. "Well, my parents used to take me to Quidditch matches when I was little, but I haven't been to one since I was seven. And they never had teams for the girls at Beauxbatons. It would be far too masculine for a girl to go riding around on a broom any way but side saddle," she finished loftily.

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh at this, hopped over the bench, and sat down next to her. He leaned in to her. "It's not that difficult once you get the hang of it. Look there," he said pointing at Frank Longbottom. "He's our keeper, he's guarding the rings. If the quaffle goes into any of those rings, it's ten points to Slytherin."

"All right. Which one's the quaffle?"

Sirius looked at her incredulously, shook his head and started explaining the basics to a very confused Isadora.

By the end of the match, Isadora was finally starting to catch on. She and Sirius were having so much fun that they completely forgot about the night before. His arm was even around her back, his hand leaning on the bench on the other side of her. If she minded, she didn't say anything. The match ended when James caught the snitch. Both Isadora and Sirius jumped up cheering along with everyone else.

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Later that afternoon, there was a huge party in the Gryffindor common room. The girls were sitting by themselves in a corner, recounting the events of the match.

"It was so exciting," said Isadora. "And you two were so great. The way you handled that quaffle was amazing." Alice and Erica beamed.

"So," said Alice. "Speaking of exciting things…I caught a glimpse of you and Sirius in the stands today and you two looked pretty cozy."

"I know," said Lily, turning to Isadora. "I was afraid to talk to you because of how much fun you two were having together."

Isadora was slightly startled that they talked like this in front of Erica. Out of the three girls, she talked to the bubbly blonde the least, but she still knew that the girl had dated Sirius the year before. She glanced at Erica to see her reaction to what her friends had said.

Erica understood immediately why the girl was looking at her. "Oh, don't worry about me, Isadora. Sirius and I are way over. I don't care what he does. Besides, I'm dating Kingsley now. I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into. If you want your heart broken by Sirius Black, you have my blessing."

"Oh, no, Erica. You don't understand. I'm not interested in him like that. We're just friends. Every now and then, he just forgets that I don't like him that way and he starts hitting on me."

"Yeah, sure, Isadora," teased Alice.

"I've never seen a girl be good friends with Black. At least not without ending up in a compromising position in a broom cupboard with him soon after," said Lily.

Isadora rolled her eyes at them. "You three are hopeless." She stood up and grabbed her cloak. "I'm gonna go take a walk. Get some air. See you all later."

Isadora left abruptly and the three girls looked at each other quizzically.

"She always does that," commented Lily. "Doesn't even tell us where she's going."

"She acts so mysterious all the time," said Alice. "She's really nice, but do you ever get the feeling she doesn't want us to know anything personal about her?"

"Maybe she's just a really private person?" suggested Erica.

The girls were curious but dropped the subject in favor of one far more interesting: boys. Erica had let slip that she had Kingsley now and this was something she hadn't told them before.

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Sirius watched Isadora leave the common room and wondered what she was up to. If he was going to get her alone to figure out what she knew about the Marauder's secrets, now was the time.

He followed her out of the portrait and through the castle to the front door. She opened it and started to walk outside where the sun was starting to wane. He opened the door a crack and peered out. He saw her walk across the lawn towards the lake.

"Where in Merlin's name is she going?' he muttered to no one in particular.

Sirius waited until she was out of sight around the lake before following her. She would have been sure to spot him on the wide open lawn. He followed the path he saw her take around the lake. He wasn't sure where she went so he just kept walking, hugging the shore. After about fifteen or twenty minutes, he thought that maybe he had lost her. The woods had creeped up to the lake at this point and he couldn't even see the school anymore.

Suddenly he hit a clearing, looked around, and saw that he was on top of a hill. He looked down towards the shore and saw Isadora standing in the water. Her socks and shoes were thrown haphazardly on the ground and she was up to her knees in the water.

What was surprising about this scene, however, was that there was a beautiful red bird soaring around the lake. He had never seen a real phoenix before, but he knew instantly that that was what the bird was. Sirius just quietly watched the bird for a few minutes. He looked to Isadora and saw that her eyes were closed. She seemed to be lost in a far away place. The bird suddenly dove into the water and back out again and Isadora laughed with pure joy. Sirius was in awe. He had never seen her like this before. She always had a mask up with people, like she was trying to protect herself from getting too close to anyone. He had never seen her look so free before.

He saw the bird flying back towards them on its return trip around the lake. It caught sight of Sirius and quickly vanished in a puff of smoke. Isadora whirled around and stared at Sirius. She looked shocked. "You," was all she could say.

"Me," he stated simply. He walked down the hill towards her as she began to get out of the water and put on her socks and shoes. He sat down next to her on the ground and looked out at the lake. "I don't know how you can stand in that water. It's November, it must be freezing."

"It's not so bad," she said tentatively. He placed his hand gently on her ankle and she quickly pushed it away.

"You seem a little cold," he said softly with a smile on his face. He looked into her violet eyes for a second before she turned away. "So. This is why you're always sneaking off. You have a phoenix."

"What makes you think that the bird was a phoenix, Sirius?"

"Oh, c'mon, Izzy. What? Are you going to try and tell me that it was a really large cardinal or something?"

Isadora frowned. "Fine, it's a phoenix. But it's not mine. It belongs to a friend."

He looked at her incredulously. "It belongs to a friend and just so happens to come and visit you?"

"Ugh, fine. It's Dumbledore's," she conceded.

"And how exactly do you know Dumbledore's phoenix?"

She sighed. "If you must know, he's an old family friend. Pulled some strings to get me into Hogwarts. I met his phoenix Fawkes, when I was younger and he took a liking to me." Her voice got stern for a second. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone. I'm not entirely sure I should be meeting with Fawkes like this."

Sirius chuckled a little at how serious she was acting. "Don't frown, Pixie. The way I see it, this is good for both of us."

"Why is that?"

"Well, fair is fair. You know my secrets and now I know yours."

Isadora looked thoughtful for a second, then seeing the humor in the situation, she smiled a little. "I suppose you're right." She reached into her robe that were lying next to her and pulled out the worn piece of parchment. She handed it grimly to Sirius. "Take it. I was getting sick of looking at the damn thing anyways. It made me nervous carrying it around seeing as how I couldn't figure out how to turn it off."

Sirius took his wand out of his pocket, tapped the piece of parchment and said, "Mischief managed." He folded it up and put it and his wand in his pocket. "Can't believe you even figured out how to open it in the first place."

"You told me how to." He looked at her with disbelief. "On your birthday, remember? When I gave you the fireworks?"

"Of course," he said, realization dawning on him. "Can't believe you picked up on that. You're pretty mischievous Izzy, you know that? Certainly gave us Marauders a run for our money this past month." She smiled proudly. "All right, how much do you know?" he asked.

She looked a little guilty. "I figured out most of it, though some of the details are still a little fuzzy. Remus is a werewolf and you, James, and Peter are unregistered animagi?"

"Right on the nose," he said resignedly.

"What animals do the three of you transform into?"

"I'm a dog, James is a stag, and Peter is a rat."

"Hence the nicknames. So what, do you just like running around with a werewolf once a month?"

"Well, yeah. It is fun. But that's not the only reason we become animagi. In second year, we realized what Moony was and we wanted to help him. It took us awhile, but last year we finally figured out how to transform. It's great, really. Remus is a lot happier now that he has us to run around with and keep him company. He still worries about other people finding out though. He was really freaked out when the map went missing, you know?"

Isadora felt really bad now. "I wasn't trying to hurt Remus. Just give you and James a little taste of your own medicine. I won't tell anyone about him being a werewolf. It's not his fault and people can be really cruel. I'll talk to him about it next time I see him so he doesn't worry," she promised.

He smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Izzy."

"You need to do something for me though," she said. "Please don't tell anyone about the phoenix or about me knowing Dumbledore."

"Cross my heart," he said in a goofy, but serious way. She giggled a little. "You keep my secret and I keep yours. Since I know about it now though, would you mind if I met the beautiful creature?"

She looked at him searchingly but decided that his interest was genuine. She used her magic to put out feelers for the bird and he appeared in a puff of smoke. He landed on the ground in front of them. "Fawkes, meet Sirius," she said. "Sirius knows about you anyways now, so it's okay if you come out when he's here." She turned to the boy sitting next to her. "Sirius, this is Fawkes." He held out his finger to the bird and let him nip at it. He looked at Isadora for permission and she nodded. He rubbed Fawkes' neck with his finger and the bird made an appreciative sort of noise. After a couple of minutes, Fawkes spread his wings and took flight to go and glide around the lake again.

Sirius stared after the bird and then turned to Isadora. "Before, when I first saw you here. You were looking through Fawkes' eyes, weren't you? You could see him flying?"

Isadora was surprised at how perceptive Sirius was and nodded. She thought about it for a second and made a decision. "Do you want to try it?"

"Try what?"

"Looking through his eyes."

"Other people can connect with him?"

"No. But I think I can connect with you." Without waiting for his response, she faced him and repositioned herself so she was kneeling towards him. She placed her hands gently on the side of his head, by his temples. "I've never tried this with anyone else before but I don't see why it shouldn't work." Sirius looked a little nervous. She reassured him. "Don't worry. It won't hurt. You know what legilimency is?" He nodded. "Same concept. I'm just putting images into your mind instead of taking things out. Just relax, open your mind, and focus on me."

Isadora's eyes flashed blue for a second before she closed them in order to connect to the phoenix. Sirius was staring at her face but something around her neck caught his eye. It was a beautiful necklace that he had never noticed before. It was a colored stone pendant hung on a silver chain. The stone itself was about two inches and was a swirl of blue and violet, like her eyes. The colors seemed to move and swirl around on their own.

Suddenly, Sirius felt Isadora's presence in his mind and he looked up at her face, startled. A soft smile played at the corners of her mouth. He gasped a little and closed his eyes. He was there with her. It was as if he was the phoenix soaring over the lake. After a few minutes of soaring with the bird it became a bit overwhelming and he opened his eyes to look at Isadora. She opened her eyes a second later and looked at him.

"Are you okay?" she said.

"Yeah, it was just…amazing. I've never felt anything like that before."

His gaze on her was intense and she started pull her hands from his face. Sirius reacted quickly. He grabbed her and started kissing her feverishly. One arm snaked around her waist, pulling her towards him while the other quickly entangled itself in her hair.

Isadora didn't even think. She just fell into it. It felt too right to her to stop it. One of her arms was around his neck and the other was exploring his firm chest. Before long, Sirius had pulled her completely onto his lap.

After about ten minutes of making out, they pulled apart, gasping for breath. Sirius looked into her eyes. "You're amazing, Pixie."

She giggled a little, "How many girls have you said that to, Black?"

He laughed a little but stopped when he saw something change in her face. Her expression changed and he felt her close herself off to him. He knew what she was going to do before she did it.

Isadora jumped off his lap, started gathering her things and apologizing to him. "I'm sorry, Sirius. That was a mistake. It shouldn't have happened."

"Why not?" he asked. "I want to kiss you. You want to kiss me. There's nothing wrong with that."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just can't. I need to go now."

With that, Isadora left him to walk back the way they had come from. Sirius stared after her. "Why does she keep doing that?" he said to himself. He settled back and watched the phoenix gliding over the water. He thought about his very eventful afternoon and watched the sun set. It wasn't until it got dark that he finally got up to walk back to the castle.


	10. Jealousy Amongst Friends

Hello all.

Thanks to SilverStagBeauty and HermioneWeasley for their regular updates. And thanks to BobbyandRogue for your kind words.

To everyone else, I know you're reading. PLEASE REVIEW. I'd like some feedback.

-Love from Kassie

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**Chapter 10: Jealousy Amongst Friends**

Isadora and Sirius didn't speak more than casual words to each other over the next few days. He knew he wanted to be with her, but he also knew that she wouldn't just give in so easily. If he just kissed her like he did the last few times he knew that she would just push him away. Romantic thoughts of Izzy however, were pushed aside a few days later when Remus came back. Remus was so tired when he got back from the hospital wing that he crashed into bed without even saying good night to his friends.

The following morning, Isadora got up early and got ready while her roommates were still looking groggy. After she got dressed, she looked in the mirror. She smoothed the pleats in her skirt and double checked her makeup. She never went heavy on the makeup, just eyeliner, mascara, and lip gloss. In reality, she was very beautiful and didn't need any makeup, but it was a habit she had gotten into. She was a pureblooded Angelline and she had to look the part. If she was going to be honest with herself though, she would have to admit that ever since she and Sirius kissed that afternoon at the lake, she had been taking a little bit more care than usual with her appearance.

When she was satisfied, Isadora went downstairs. Instead of going towards the portrait however, she went to the left and up to the boy's dormitories. As she walked up the stairwell, she looked at the doors she passed until she found the right one. Instead of being labeled with the year number like all the other doors were, this door had a handwritten sign that said "Marauders."

Isadora knocked lightly on the door and heard shuffling inside. A second later, Sirius answered, clad only in his black boxers. Her eyes widened a second at the breathtaking sight, but other than that, she showed no response. "Aww, Pixie. If you wanted to see me naked, all you had to do was ask."

Isadora rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not here for you, Sirius. I'm here to talk to Remus. Remember, I said I would?" He stepped aside to let her in. As she did, she took a cursory glance around the room. It was a mess. Clothes were everywhere. She tread carefully to avoid spare quills and textbooks. She saw Peter in bed, thankfully under the covers, still asleep. James was sitting on his bed, also in his boxers, looking like her presence had woken him up.

"Padfoot, if you're gonna bring your girlfriends in here—"

"I am NOT his girlfriend."

James squinted at her a little. "Oh. Hey, Isadora. I didn't realize it was you. What are you doing here so early anyways?"

"I came to speak to Remus."

"What do you want to talk to me for?" asked Remus as he exited the bathroom, having just showered. Thankfully, unlike his roommates, he was clothed.

"You know…about the map and everything."

Remus dropped the towel he was carrying. James fell out of bed and looked up at Isadora before saying, "It _was_ you that had the map."

She whipped around to look at Sirius, "You didn't tell them?"

"You're the one who stole it. I figured you should be the one to tell them."

"Wait," said James. "Do you still have our map?"

"No," said Sirius. "I got it back from her a few days ago." Sirius reached under his bed and pulled out the map, brandishing it in his friends face.

"And you've just been letting Wormtail and I freak out about the fact that it was gone?"

"Yup. It was pretty funny," he responded plopping on his bed.

Isadora saw Remus walk carefully over to his bed and sit down slowly. He looked like he had been hit over the head with a rogue bludger. Isadora went over and sat down next to him on the bed. "Yes, Remus. I figured everything out. About them being animagi and about your…problem."

He wouldn't look her in the eye. "I know you probably think that—"

"I don't think anything about it, Remus. I mean, this doesn't change who you are. You're still the same great person you were before. And this problem is nobody's business but yours. I won't tell anyone about it. I promise. And I won't pester you with questions. I'm really sorry I took that map. I wouldn't have if I had known it would hurt you so much. I was just trying to cause trouble for Sirius and James, really."

"Why would you want to do that to us?" asked Sirius.

"Because you're a prat," Isadora continued smoothly. She opened her mouth to speak again, but Remus looked up at her and smiled.

"It's okay, Isadora. You don't have to apologize. We just weren't being careful enough with the map. I would have been curious if I had found something like that lying around." He stopped for a second to glare at Peter's sleeping form, before turning to Isadora. "And thanks for not saying anything to anyone. That really means a lot to me." He leaned over and gave her a hug. She hugged him back, but a little awkwardly. She wasn't usually this close to people.

"Can I walk you down to breakfast?" she asked.

"Sure, I can tell you all about how I ended up a monster."

"You're not a monster, Remus."

He just gave her a wry smile and stood up to go. She followed him out the door and down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"See you down there," she said to James and Sirius as they left.

"Well, those two looked cozy," said James as the door closed. "Looks like you might have some competition there, Padfoot."

Sirius frowned at his friend and threw a pillow at him. "Stuff it, Prongs. There's no way Izzy would go for Remus. They're just friends."

"Whatever you say," he responded getting up. "I'm gonna grab a shower." And with that, he left Sirius to his thoughts.

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The truth was that Remus and Isadora were just friends. Over the next couple of weeks though, they spent a lot more time together. Remus enjoyed talking to someone and not feeling like he had to lie about who he was. The two of them also had similar interests and they genuinely enjoyed each other's company. Remus became a kind of study buddy to both Isadora and Lily.

They all focused greatly on school and it helped to have each other to work with, especially for Isadora. She was very smart for her age but she still had to work hard to get good grades in some very difficult fifth and sixth year classes.

They were practicing a particularly trying spell in the library one day which involved transfiguring a fly into parakeet.

"This is getting ridiculous," said Lily. "My parakeet keeps making buzzing noises."

Remus and Isadora chuckled a little. "I think you're just flicking your wand a little too much, Lily," he said, having already completed the task himself.

She just glared at him then looked to Isadora. "What are you giggling at? You haven't even tried the spell yet. You're still just reading about it." Lily didn't mean to be short with them. She just got really frustrated when she had so much difficulty with a spell that someone else had already mastered.

"All right, then. Let's see what I can do." Isadora closed her book and took out her wand. She then delicately opened the jar in the middle of the table and let out one fly. Concentrating hard, she pointed her wand at the fly, clearly said the incantation, and watched as the fly transfigured into a perfect parakeet. Remus whistled appreciatively.

Lily just blanched. "How did you do that? You didn't even do the wand movement correctly."

"She makes a fair point, Isadora," said Remus with a wolfish grin. "You barely flicked your wand."

"My parents always brought me up believing the school of thought that said intent was the most important element of spell casting," replied Isadora loftily.

"A very pureblooded idea."

"Are you insulting my heritage, Remus?" she said icily.

"No, no, not at all. I promise. I am simply commenting on the different styles there are of performing magic amongst a wide range of witches and wizards."

"Well, this seems to work for me."

"We can see that," muttered Lily darkly. "Oh, forget this. Let's call it a day. We only have one class left before we go home for Christmas holidays."

"Thank Merlin for that," said Remus. As one, they gathered their things and left the library to return to the common room.

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A few days later, Sirius, James, and Peter were sitting in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express.

"Finally," said James. "Christmas."

"Agreed," said Sirius. "What are we doing anyways, Prongs? Your parent's throwing another Christmas party this year?"

"No. They said we're just gonna have a small family thing at home. How about you, Pete? What are you up to?"

"Nothing special. Just hanging out with my parents."

The door to their compartment opened just then to admit the fourth Marauder. "Have a good ride home, Isadora. See you later," Remus said to the hallway as he entered. Sirius frowned at him as he came in. "Let's start our holiday, shall we boys?" He sat down and pulled out a wizard's chess set. "Up for a game, Prongs?"

"No thanks, Moony. Don't feel like getting slaughtered today."

"I'll have a go," challenged Sirius, reaching into his trunk to pull out his own chess set.

Three games later, Sirius had yet to beat his friend and ended up throwing the chess board to the ground in frustration.

"It's just a game, Padfoot," said Remus. "What pixie crawled up your ass anyways?"

"I believe that certain pixie's name is Isadora," drawled James from where he was sitting, playing a game of exploding snap with Peter.

"Mind your own business, Prongs," snapped Sirius.

"What are you getting all worked up over Isadora for?" asked Remus. "This is you we're talking about, Sirius. I mean, she's just another girl to you, right?"

"Why so protective of her, Moony? Maybe you think of her as more than just another girl, huh?"

"What are you talking about, Padfoot?"

"I see the way you and Izzy look at each other. You think that I'm too old for her, but that you're just the right age? Why is that? You think you're smarter than I am, a better person than me? Maybe it's just that you treat girls better? Why are you worthy of Izzy and I'm not?"

"All right, just calm down," said James trying to diffuse what was rapidly becoming a very heated argument.

"Sirius, do you really think I like Isadora?" asked Remus.

"Well, you and her have certainly become very chummy these past few weeks."

"We share common interests. You boys certainly won't come to the library with me to study, so I go with Isadora and Lily."

"You're always talking to her—"

"I don't talk to Isadora any more than I talk to you, Sirius. You're just exaggerating. I swear to you that Isadora and I are just friends and that I am not interested in her romantically, not in the slightest. I just enjoy talking to someone besides you three that knows what I am and doesn't hate me for it." An uncomfortable silence descended over the compartment. After a minute, Remus spoke again, "It wouldn't matter even if I did, Padfoot. I'm pretty sure she has a thing for you too."

Sirius looked like he wanted to stay mad at Remus, but apparently his curiosity won out. "Well, did she say anything about me?"

Remus gave him a grin. "Not a word. But I think it's her overall refusal to speak about you when your name comes up that is a better indicator of how she feels."

"Oh, I know she likes me. She is just completely unwilling to do anything about it."

"She probably just doesn't trust you mate. Let me say this about Isadora. I'd like to say we've become good friends over the past few weeks, but the truth of the matter is, I don't know the first thing about her. She doesn't talk about her parents, where she lives,

nothing, not a word. Lily is probably her closest friend here and I don't think that she even knows anything about her. I am not saying I definitely approve of you going after Isadora, but if you really like her, you're going to need to get her to trust you. And that could take awhile."

A calm and thoughtful look crossed Sirius's face. Then, in one of his less tactful moments, James piped up, "Hey, Moony. Does Lily ever talk about me?"

All the boys burst out laughing. "Only to say that you're the biggest prat she ever met, Prongs."

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When they arrived at Kings Cross, there was the usual hustle and bustle of students pushing to say hello to missed parents. Sirius and James sought out the Potters who had both come to greet the boys. As they were preparing to leave, Sirius saw Isadora across the platform saying goodbye to Lily. "Can you hang on for a second?" he asked the Potters. "There's someone I just want to say goodbye to."

He made his way over to Isadora and Lily. "Hey, Izzy," he said as he approached. "Hi, Lily."

"Black," nodded Lily.

"Hi, Sirius," said Isadora. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to tell you to have a nice vacation."

"Thanks. You too."

"So, if I um, wanted to send you an owl, where would I send it to? I doubt that a letter addressed to an Angelline would get sent to you directly."

"No, you're right. We have someone that takes care of all the owls so that business letters get filtered out. I have my own personal address."

"Well, could I get it?"

"You'll see me in a few weeks, Sirius. You don't need to write."  
"I don't want to write you. I want to send you a Christmas present."

She looked at him quizzically. "I'm not going to get you a present. You don't need to get me one."

"I don't care if you get me one. I'm still going to get you one. Where should I send it?"

Isadora looked to Lily for help, but she just shrugged. "All right. Just send it to Bluerose the house elf at Angelline Manor. I'll get it."

"Great, thanks." He gave her a kiss on the cheek before she could protest. She blushed a little, mumbled a good bye and walked off. Lily and Sirius watched as she walked over to a very tall man standing stoically off to the side of the platform, wearing dark black robes. Isadora handed her bag to him without a word and started walking towards the barrier. He followed behind her silently.

"That's a little strange," said Sirius to Lily. "Who do you think he is, a guard or a chaperone?"

"He reminds me of the American Secret Service or something."

"Huh?"

"It's a muggle thing. Never mind. See you around, Black." And with that, she left to find her parents. Sirius just shook his head and went back to the Potters to begin what would probably be his first pleasant Christmas holiday in his life.

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**PLEASE REVIEW**


	11. Happy New Year

Hello all…

This story is coming out really fast and I'm having so much fun writing it. I hope y'all are having as much fun reading it.

Thanks to SilverStagBeauty, Hermione09Weasley, and bobbyandrogue for their regular reviews. And thanks to my new reviewer starlightxlove. Thanks for the feedback. Keep it up.

Sorry, this chapter's a little short. Had to end it here. Next one will be longer.

Love from Kassie

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**Chapter 11: Happy New Year's**

Isadora looked at her reflection in her vanity mirror and frowned. She was having trouble getting her hair up right. She pointed at her curls piece by piece and started gathering the hair up onto her head, letting pieces of curls hang down here and there. The pendant around her neck was a fantastic swirl of violet and blue. When she was satisfied with her hair, she stepped back and took a look in the full length mirror.

She was quite happy with the effect. She had on an old dress of her mother's. (Like her mother, Isadora also had a tiny frame that had matured at a very young age, allowing her to fit into the old clothes properly.) What she found when she wore her mother's old dresses was that instead of being criticized for wearing clothing that was dated, she was praised for her vintage choices. Her mother had a fantastic sense of style and all of her clothing simply screamed wealth and good taste. The dress that Isadora had chosen for the evening was a red silk one that hugged her curves in all the right places. It had cap sleeves, an empire waist, and a v-neck that showed just enough cleavage to be tasteful. The skirt hit the floor and Isadora had found a pair of deep red satin heels that matched perfectly.

She examined her reflection and realized what was missing. She gave a small smile. "Bluerose?"

With a crack, a cute little house elf appeared out of nowhere. She had a high squeaky voice and was dressed in neat, clean little tea towel. "Yes, Miss Isadora?"

"Do you know what I did with the present that Sirius Black sent to me?"

"Yes, miss." Bluerose disappeared for a second and with a crack returned, carrying a bracelet. "You had me put it in the safe."

"Right, of course. Thank you, Bluerose," she said taking the bracelet. The house elf left the room.

Isadora put the bracelet on her right wrist and smiled. It went with the dress perfectly. Sirius had very good taste. The bracelet was a gorgeous phoenix made from tiny scarlet crystals. Instead of just a pendant though, the entire bird wrapped all the way around her wrist so that the tail feathers were placed elegantly beneath the head of the bird. Sirius had left a simple note with the plainly wrapped gift: _For my little Pixie. _He didn't even sign the note or wrap the bracelet in proper wrapping paper. Isadora loved it.

She sighed and made her way downstairs to the first floor of her enormous house. It was the manor that was left to her by her parents. Downstairs, her bodyguard was waiting for her. Tonight was New Year's Eve. She was going to a party at Malfoy Manor. She wasn't particularly excited about it, but it was better than sitting at home like she did on Christmas. Dumbledore had invited her to stay at Hogwarts with him as usual, but she declined. She had gotten to know him again over the past four months, but she still wasn't ready to spend family holidays with him yet.

As she reached the front hallway, she saw her bodyguard waiting dutifully for her. She was allowed to go to parties and other social functions as long as she had someone accompanying her, since she was after all, thirteen years old.

"Good evening, Madame Angelline. You'll be attending a party at Malfoy Manor tonight, yes?"

"Indeed, Marcus. Are you ready?"

"Of course. If you'll just take my arm."

Isadora grasped his arm tightly, turned to the right with him, and felt the familiar sucking sensation that meant she was being magically transported someplace else.

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The party was even more boring than she had anticipated. It was a blur of people vying for her attention, asking favors of her, and simply trying to be in her presence. She was already acquainted with most of them. This was the elite crowd of twenty-something purebloods that were next in line to inherit their parent's fortunes. Normally, those still in Hogwarts wouldn't be allowed at parties such as these yet, but seeing as Isadora had already inherited her parent's fortune, an exception was made for her. She had been going to parties with these people since she was eleven and she knew how to work them. The saddest part about it was that before this year at Hogwarts, these were the people she would have called her friends.

The moment she had arrived at the party, Isadora had picked a table towards the middle of the room and sat majestically, letting people come to her. After a series of positively dull conversations, the next person to approach her was none other than Lucius Malfoy himself, the host of the party. He came over carrying two glasses of elderflower wine. He handed one to Isadora. "Good evening, Madame Angelline. It's an absolute pleasure to have you here tonight. I thank you for coming."

"The pleasure is all mine, Master Malfoy."

"I wonder if I might have this dance?" he said, holding out his hand.

Isadora considered him for second. She could tell he wanted something from her. Out of all the people present there that evening, his was probably the only family that could rival hers in power, wealth, and influence. Her curiosity was piqued.

"I would be honored," she said placing her hand in his and setting her glass of wine on the table. He led Isadora out to the dance floor. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Narcissa Black scowling at her. Isadora just smiled that sweet smile of hers.

"Isadora," said Lucius, as they began to dance. "I heard that you started Hogwarts this year. How are you finding it?"

"Rather enjoyable. Although, I do find it to be a bit overwhelming. Beauxbatons was such a small school and the sheer amount of students at Hogwarts has taken some getting used to."

"I must admit, when we heard that you would be attending the school, we all expected you to be sorted into Slytherin House."

Isadora tried to deflect the subtle question, "And just who is this 'we' that you speak of, Lucius?"

He cocked his eyebrow, obviously impressed with her tactics, "Oh, you know. Those of us pureblooded families who matter. Those much like yourself."

"There is much speculation about what will become of me, I take it?"

"You could say that."

"Well, I was never one to adhere to other's expectations. I have my own plans for my future."

"And they would be?"

"At the moment: to finish my schooling as quickly as possible."

"Admirable. I know some people that could help you with that. I believe you met my friend, Julian Mulciber. He is quite gifted."

"Indeed."

"You weren't much taken with him, then?"

"No," she said brusquely. "I found his attempts at manipulation to be far too crass and overt for my liking."

Lucius laughed darkly. "Yes, unlike you Isadora, subtlety was never Mulciber's strong suit."

"Nor is it yours, Lucius. What is it that you want from me?" She spoke with a slight air of curiosity and made it a point not to sound accusatory.

"Ah, straight to the point then. I assure you, I desire nothing sinister. I simply have a proposal that I think you might be interested in. A charitable project of mine. I intend on building a new ward at St. Mungo's for those with long term spell damage. Last year, a man named Janus Thickey had an accident—"

"Yes, I read about it. His mind has been permanently addled by the incident."

"Exactly. I intend to build a wing in his name. I thought you might be interested in contributing. A joint donation such as this would look good for both of us."

"It sounds well enough. When you have a proposal ready, send it over to Fulton Goldnot, my financial advisor. I'm sure we'll be able to work something out."

"Excellent." As the song ended, Lucius kissed her hand. Isadora suppressed a shudder. "I look forward to working on this project with you, Madame Angelline. And thank you for the dance."

Isadora gave him a slight nod and returned to her table. She sat in silence thinking about what had just transpired. Dumbledore was right. Now that she was getting older and was obviously capable of making her own decisions, people were seeking her out. She understood now what was happening, why people like Mulciber and Malfoy were attempting to reach out to her. Malfoy had more than just a charitable project on his mind. This was just the beginning. He was trying to create strong ties between her family and his.

Isadora could dimly hear the New Year's count down. It seemed distant however, far away. "10!"

Did Lucius mean to try and marry her?

"9!"

A marriage between a Malfoy and an Angelline would be a strong one.

"8!"

No. If marriage was the only thing on his mind, he would have asked her outright.

"7!"

He wanted an alliance between them. One stronger than a simple marriage, though that wasn't out of the question.

"6!"

Mulciber had approached her on Lucius Malfoy's orders. She was sure of that.

"5!"

It seemed like Malfoy was going to a lot of trouble simply to secure her loyalty to him.

"4!"

Unless it was her loyalty to another person that Malfoy was trying to secure.

"3!"

Logic would dictate that there was a chain of command at work. Regulus did what Mulciber told him to. Mulciber was following Malfoy's orders and Malfoy was following someone else's.

"2!"

This led her to the ultimate question: who was it that Lucius Malfoy was working for?

"1! Happy New Year!!!" the crowd screamed.

Isadora looked at all the happy couples kissing and absentmindedly stroked the beautiful crystal phoenix that was wrapped around her wrist.

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**PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	12. The Bet

Thanks to the usual reviewers.

Hermione, you are Queen for a day. Thank you

Love from Kassie

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**Chapter 12: The Bet**

"Ah, home sweet home," said James, plopping down onto his bed in his dormitory. The boys had just gotten back from Christmas vacation.

"It is nice to be back," said Remus.

"I missed my bed," said Peter. Remus took a look at Peter's bed and raised an eyebrow. It looked like a pig slept there. Within minutes, the pudgy boy was asleep.

James glanced over at Sirius. He was lying on his back on his bed and just staring at the ceiling. "You've been awfully quiet since we got off the train, Padfoot."

"Huh?" he said.

"What's going on with you?"

"Just thinking," said Sirius.

"Hmmm…might you be thinking about a certain French exchange student that you so affectionately call Pixie?" asked Remus.

Sirius blushed. "Maybe."

"Sweet Merlin," said James. "Is Sirius Black blushing at the thought of a girl?"

Sirius threw a pillow in his friends face. "Stuff it, Prongs."

"So what happened?" asked James. "Did she like the Christmas present you got her?"

"Yeah. I ran into her in the corridor on the train. She said thank you and gave me a kiss on the cheek."

"Well, that's progress."

"Not really. We've snogged before."

"What? You didn't tell me that."

"It happened after I found out she had the map."

"Do you really like her?" interrupted Remus.

"Yeah, I'm crazy about her."

"Then think of it this way, Padfoot. Snogging is something that you do with every other girl. A kiss on the cheek is more personal. It probably means that she thinks of you as something more than just some guy she's snogged."

"You could be right," said Sirius hopefully.

"And by the way, what exactly did you get her for Christmas?"

"A bracelet."

"Thanks. That was very informative. Care to elaborate?"

"It was quite a bracelet, Moony," said James. "We found it at a small jewelry shop in Diagon Alley. It was a phoenix made from tiny crystals that wrapped all around the wrist. Really gorgeous."

Remus gave a small whistle. "Must have cleaned out your vault, Padfoot."

"It did cost a lot. But it was worth it," murmured Sirius.

After that, conversation drifted towards Quidditch and the upcoming match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. The boys were so exhausted however from the trip back to Hogwarts that they fell asleep within the hour.

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Sirius had decided that a kiss on the cheek wasn't the worst thing in the world. He figured that if he just stayed persistent, Isadora would eventually cave in. Later that week, he pulled Remus aside after charms.

"Hey, Moony. Are you and Izzy studying in the library today?

"I'm meeting her right now in fact."

"Excellent, thanks." And with that, Sirius departed.

Remus looked after him, chuckled a little, and went off to meet Isadora. When he arrived, he found her there already, sitting with a book cracked open on the table. She looked up as he approached.

"Hey, Moony."

"Since when do you call me that?"

"I don't know. It suits you. You don't mind, do you?"

"As long as I can call you Izzy."

"Remus it is," she said quickly.

He laughed loudly. "Nah, you can call me Moony. I don't mind." She grinned at him and looked back down at her textbook. He pulled out his and got to work.

It wasn't long however, before they were interrupted. Into the library sauntered the last person anyone in Hogwarts would ever expect to be there: Sirius Black. He sat down next to Isadora and put his arm around her shoulders. She, to her credit, didn't even look up. All she said was, "What do you want, Sirius?"

"To give you this." He placed a rose on top of the textbook she was reading. Remus didn't want to interrupt, but he was watching out of the corner of his eye. Isadora picked up the rose, smelled it, smiled at Sirius and said thank you.

"So, can I take you out sometime?"

"What?" she said incredulously. "On a date?"

"Yes."

"I don't think so, Sirius."

"Why not?"

"If I say yes, will your bimbo of the week be joining us?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not stupid, Sirius. I hear the gossip. I know you started banging that dumb Hufflepuff the second we came back from break."

"Oh, her? She's nothing, Izzy. Certainly doesn't have anything on you."

"Well, I'm the type of girl that believes in a monogamous relationship. I don't fancy dating you on top of whatever girl you happen to be screwing."

"You think that I'm not capable of a monogamous relationship?"

"Sirius, you aren't capable of going one week without snogging a girl."

"You wanna make a bet?"

"Excuse me?"

"I don't snog a girl for one week, and you go out on a date with me."

"One week? That's it? Make it one month and you have a deal."

"One month. Perfect," said Sirius, eagerly. "You have a deal." With that, he got up and left.

Isadora warily watched him go, then looked to Remus. "He's not honestly going to go through with this, is he?"

"I don't know Isadora. He seemed pretty serious about it. No pun intended." Isadora shot him a dirty look and went back to work.

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A few weeks later, she started to get a little nervous. She was having lunch with Lily one day, when Sirius walked by. He stopped and whispered in her ear, "Three weeks, Pixie. You ready for our date?" He smirked and continued on down the table to sit with the Marauders.

"What was that all about?" asked Lily.

Isadora frowned. "I made a stupid bet with Sirius."

"What kind of bet?" she asked curiously.

"I told him that I'd go on a date with him if he could go for one month without so much as snogging another girl."

Lily laughed. "Slim chance of that happening."

"That's what I thought. It's been three weeks though and I haven't heard anything about him hooking up with a girl. You haven't heard any gossip, have you?"

Lily looked thoughtful for a second. "Now that I think about it, no. I haven't."

Isadora sputtered. "Well…what am I supposed to do if he actually goes a month without seeing another girl?"

Lily shrugged. "Go on a date with him?"

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Two weeks later, Isadora was sitting in the library sulking. Sirius hadn't made a single reference to the date that he had won. A part of her hoped that he had forgotten all about it. The other part of her wondered why he had changed his mind about going out with her. She didn't know what she wanted to happen. Isadora knew that she liked Sirius but she just couldn't trust him.

She sighed and closed her book. She wasn't going to get any work done tonight. It was almost curfew anyways. She put her things in her bag and made her way back to Gryffindor Tower. As she approached the portrait of the fat lady, she felt something brush past her. She squinted in the dim light but couldn't see anything. Isadora was about to continue on to the portrait, but stopped when she heard frantic whispering.

"What are you doing?"

"It's fine, I'm just gonna bring her with us."

"You can't tell her."

"She knows enough, she won't say anything."

Isadora gasped when Sirius appeared in front of her, literally out of thin air. Before she could even speak he grabbed her hand and tugged her along.

"Come on," he said.

"What? Where? What are you talking about?"

"You owe me a date. Let's go."

"Now?"

Behind Sirius, she saw James and Remus appear out of nowhere and realized that James was holding an invisibility cloak. He addressed her impatiently, "Look, Isadora, if you want to come, we need to go now. Filch is in his office still."

She looked at Sirius incredulously, "We're going on our date with James and Remus?"

"What difference does it make? I thought you didn't even want to go on a date with me." Isadora was trying to come up with a response, but Sirius didn't even give her a chance. He pulled her over to the boys and they all got under the cloak.

As they crept along the corridor, Isadora really wanted to ask them where they were going but she knew they'd just hush her up. Before long, they arrived at the mirror on the fourth floor that Isadora had hid behind when she had the map. They crept into the secret passageway and Sirius closed the door behind them. "All right, here we are. Did you figure out where this went to when you had the map, Izzy?"

"No, I never walked down it. Where does it lead to?"

"You'll see. You should leave your bag here." She did as he said and dropped her bag on the floor.

"Come on," said James. "Let's get a move on."

The journey was long and the four of them took it in silence. Sirius was pleased to find that Isadora got progressively more nervous the longer and darker the tunnel became. She grasped his arm tightly the whole way there. "Don't worry," he whispered. "You'll be fine. Promise." He flashed his trademark grin at her and she smiled in return. She relaxed a little but still didn't let go of his arm.

After about half an hour, they reached some stairs. James opened a stone door and the four of them stepped out into an alleyway. Isadora looked around. Behind her, she saw the door dissolve and disappear into the stone wall. Sirius steered her towards the street and she asked him where they were.

"Take a look around."

She did as he said and realized that they were standing in front of Zonko's Joke Shop. "We're in Hogsmeade?!"

"Yup, come on." The boys led her down the block to a run down building on the edge of town. She looked up and saw a sign hanging with a picture of a severed boar's head leaking blood onto the white cloth around it. She followed the boys inside and looked around. It was a positively filthy pub. There were only a few customers sitting at the tables, all of them very sketchy looking wizards. She didn't see a bartender anywhere.

"What is this place?" she asked Sirius.

"Just a local pub called the Hog's Head."

Isadora promptly turned on her heels and walked out. The boys looked after her quizzically. James gave his friend a light punch on the arm. "I thought you said she'd be cool with this, Padfoot."

They followed her outside intent on forcing her to go in when she suddenly lashed out at them, "Are you boys stupid or something?!"

"Excuse me?" said Sirius.

"Do you know who owns this pub?"

"Just some old wizard," said James.

"Just some old wizard?! The wizard who happens to own this bar is none other than Aberforth Dumbledore! He's Albus Dumbledore's brother!"

"What! How do you know that?"

"Nevermind how I know it, just trust me."

"It can't be. We've been in this place dozens of times before," said Sirius. "He's hasn't turned us in to Dumbledore yet."

"He might not rat you boys out but sure as goblins are greedy, he'll send an owl up to Hogwarts the second he sees me with you."

"Why is that?"

"I'm an Angelline. I'm pretty easy to pick out in a place like this. Not to mention he knows me and he knows how old I am. He might let you get away with something like this but he won't be so generous with me."

Sirius sighed, "You sure about this, Izzy?"

"Positive."

He looked very grumpy. "Wait here," he told them and disappeared back into the Hog's Head. A few minutes later, he returned with a bottle of Ogden's Firewhiskey. He took Isadora's hand in his own and the four of them started walking down the street.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"There's only one place I can think to go now," said James.

"My thoughts exactly, Prongs."

Isadora didn't bother asking again. As they neared the other end of town though, she realized where they were headed. Her suspicions were confirmed as they reached the Shrieking Shack and she stopped cold. "No way, I am not going in there. That place is haunted."

"Aww, what's the matter, Izzy. Are you scared?" mocked Sirius.

"Yes! That's the most haunted building in Britain."

"Don't worry, Pixie. I'll protect you from the evil ghosts and ghouls."

"Just drop it, Padfoot. I don't want to spend all night convincing her to go inside," said Remus. He turned to Isadora. "It's not haunted."

"How can you say that—"

"Cause we've been inside. I'm the reason why everyone thinks it's haunted. When I turn into a werewolf once a month, I hole up inside the Shrieking Shack. That's where all the noises come from."

"Oh," said Isadora simply. The boys walked up to the shack, unlocked the door and went in. Isadora believed them that it wasn't haunted but she still clung tightly to Sirius's hand as they went in.

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A couple of hours and half a bottle of Firewhiskey later, the four teenagers could be found sitting on the floor of the upstairs bedroom of the Shrieking Shack.

"Siriuuus. I'm cold," whined Isadora. "You didn't tell me I'd need to bring my cloak tonight."

The boy in question looked down at the little pixie sitting next to him, leaning against the bed. She was very drunk and he'd never seen her act so childish before. He smiled down at her. "Come here." He pulled her over to him to sit in between his legs and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back into his chest and snuggled into the warmth it provided.

The two other boys looked at the pair and grinned. "C'mon guys," said Remus. "Don't start getting all mushy on us."

"Yeah," said James. "It's your turn, Isadora." They were playing a muggle game that Lily had taught her called Truth or Dare.

"Okay, okay," she said. "Moony. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to moon James." She giggled.

Remus groaned. "Fine, truth."

She scrunched up her nose a little. "Fine. Is there any girl at school that you have a crush on?"

He thought for a second. "No, actually."

"Aww, you're no fun, Moony," said James.

"Damn. That was my goal in life. To provide amusement for you, Prongs."

"Just go," said Sirius.

"Prongs. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to…" began Remus. "I don't know, this game is stupid. I can't think of anything."

"Come on," said James. "It's fun. Just play along."

"It's probably a lot more fun for you three. You've been downing that Firewhiskey like it's pumpkin juice." James glared at his friend. "Fine, fine. Prongs, I dare you to transfigure your robes into a dress."

Sirius started wolf whistling. "That's the idea, Moony. C'mon Prongs. Let's see what you've got."

"I'm not embarrassed," said James. "My legs are finely toned from Quidditch, thank you." He pointed his wand at himself, muttered an incantation, and his robes transfigured into a pink, knee-length dress. The other three burst out laughing.

"You're right, Padfoot," sputtered Remus. "This game does have some potential."

"Get your laughs in now," said James, sitting carefully back down. "Padfoot. Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

James smiled. He decided to give his friend a little gift. "I dare you to kiss Isadora."

The words were barely out of his mouth before Sirius grabbed the girl's face and kissed her right on the lips. After a second he released her and said, "Thanks, Prongs."

"Anytime, mate."

Isadora rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you be calling him Jamie, since he's wearing that dress?"

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Isadora," muttered James.

"All right, Pixie," said Sirius. "Truth or dare?

"Dare."

"I dare you to come into the next room with me and—"

"Truth." She promptly changed her mind.

Sirius smiled. He was actually counting on this. "Why don't you ever talk about your family?" he asked her honestly. There was a pause. The three boys looked at Isadora intently, waiting to see what she would say.

If Isadora had been sober, she probably wouldn't have answered. Seeing as she was drunk though, her anxieties had considerably lessened. "I don't know," she murmured. "There's not much to talk about, really."

"Sure there is. Where do you go during the holidays?"

"To the manor."

"Is that where your parents live?"

"They don't. I mean…they're dead," she finished matter-of-factly.

"I'm sorry," said all three boys.

"Don't be," she said brusquely. "It was an accident. It was no one's fault. They were at the Department of Mysteries when something happened. I'm not sure exactly what. It was when I was eight. There's nothing to be done about it."

"Who lives with you at the manor?" asked Sirius.

"Bluerose and a few other house elves."

"And you just stay cooped up in the house during the holidays?"

"No. I'm allowed out. I go to parties and social functions. It's fine as long as I clear it with my guardian first and I bring along a bodyguard. It's not bad, actually." Sirius was looking at her searchingly for signs of sadness. "Don't look at me like that, Sirius. I don't feel sorry for myself and neither should you."

An uncomfortable silence descended over the room. "This is why I don't like talking about it. Then everyone gets all weird around me. Here." She poured four shots of Firewhiskey out and they all took a glass and raised it in the air. "This," began Isadora, "is to Jamie's pretty new pink dress." All four of them burst out laughing and took down the shot.

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An hour later, the bottle was done, the game was finished and the four of them got up to make their way back to the castle. Isadora started to walk towards the front door, but Sirius stopped her. "There's another passageway over here. It'll be faster."

"I left my bag behind the mirror."

"You can get it tomorrow. It'll still be there."

She turned to follow him, tripped and would've landed flat on her face if Sirius wasn't ready to catch her. He chuckled a little. "All right. Come on, tipsy Pixie." He put his arm around her to support her and they followed the other two boys down the secret passage.

As they walked down the narrow corridor, most of Isadora's weight was on Sirius. She was half walking-half stumbling.

"Are you two still behind us?" they heard James ask from a little ways ahead of them.

"Yeah, keep going Prongs. We're right behind you," responded Sirius.

Isadora stopped after ten minutes of stumbling. "Hold up, Sirius. Let's just wait here for a second. I'm pretty dizzy." She leaned up against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned his back against the wall.

After a minute or so he looked down at her. He placed his hand under her chin and lifted up her face to look at him. "You okay, Izzy?"

"I'm fine. Just dizzy." She started intently into his piercing gray eyes. "You know Sirius, you can be pretty great when you want to be. Sometimes you just make me feel like…"

"Feel like what?" he prompted.

"Like I'm not trapped."

He looked at her quizzically. Instead of elaborating however, she pulled his face down to hers and started kissing him. He wrapped his arms tighter around her and lifted her up to his height so that her toes were dangling almost a full foot from the ground.

He dropped her when they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Remus stood there looking at them with one eyebrow raised. Isadora got beet red and continued stumbling down the corridor past him.

Remus stopped his friend before he could follow her. "She's drunk, Sirius."

"Gee, ya think, Moony? Relax. I'm not a complete asshole. I wouldn't have done anything more than kiss her."

They heard the thud of a body hitting the floor and a faint moaning. They rushed forward a few steps and found Isadora sitting on the ground. They chuckled a little at how ungainly she looked. They had never seen her less composed than she was that evening.

"Bedtime for you, Pixie," said Sirius. He bent down, picked her up in his arms and carried her back to the castle.

When they got to the common room, they were thankful that no one else was there. Sirius woke up a sleeping Isadora and put her on her feet. "Can you make it up to your room by yourself?" She stumbled against the wall in response. Sirius sighed. "You guys go ahead," he said to his friends. "I better make sure she gets to bed."

"Sirius…" began Remus.

"Moony, if you lecture me one more time I swear on the Black family name that something very unpleasant will happen to you while you sleep." Remus raised his hands in surrender and he and James went up to their dormitory.

"All right, Izzy. I can't go up there like this so I'm gonna have to change into a dog. Just hang on to my neck, all right?" She nodded and then watched in amazement as his form twisted and changed itself into that of a big, black shaggy dog.

"Awww. You make such a cute puppy, Sirius." He licked her hand and she grabbed onto his neck as he guided her up the steps. At the third year dormitory, Isadora stumbled inside with Sirius following after. Thankfully, her roommates were sound asleep.

When he got inside the room, he changed back into his human form. He quickly grabbed Isadora before she could fall over again. "Which is your bed?" he whispered. She pointed and he helped her to it.

"Sirius, can you hand me my blue dressing gown on the chair over there?" He took it from the chair and handed it to her. She started unbuttoning her shirt, apparently forgetting that he was sitting right next to her. Sirius politely looked away.

When he felt her lie down on the bed, he turned back to look at her. "I'm gonna get going, Izzy."

"No," she mumbled. "Stay with me until I fall asleep." He held her hand and watched her until her breathing steadied. It only took a minute or so for Isadora to fall asleep. Sirius leaned over, kissed her gently on the lips, and left to go to his own room.

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	13. Seeing Red

Chapter 13: Hang Ups

Chapter 13: Seeing Red

Isadora opened her eyes to see a curtain of red hair in her face. She groaned and rolled over. "Too early, Lily."

"Early? You already missed lunch. Ugh. Isadora, you smell like a brewery. Here, drink this. Sirius asked me to bring this up to you."

The younger girl rolled over and took the cup her friend offered her. She took a sip of the dark liquid, gagged, and almost spit it out. "What the hell is that?"

"Sirius called it his patented hangover cure. Drink it. You need it."

Isadora looked at the cup disgustedly but drank it down anyways. Her head was killing her. She felt like there was a giant banging a tree branch repeatedly into the back of her head.

"So what did you and the boys do last night?" asked Lily. "They wouldn't tell me."

"Sirius got us a bottle of Firewhiskey and we drank it."

"Just the two of you?!"

"No. James and Moony were there too."

"Moony?"

"That's what they call Remus."

"So, what else did the four of you do?"

"We hung out in Hogsmeade and played that stupid Truth or Dare game that you taught me."

"In Hogsmeade?"

Isadora could see Lily's prefect sensibilities kicking into overdrive. "Oh, come on, Lily. You're not going to rat on us, are you?"

She looked thoughtful for a second. "No. Just don't do it again."

"Or at least don't tell you about it?"

"That works too." The girls giggled. "So, what happened after Truth or Dare?"

"Hmmm. You know, I don't really remember."

"You got that drunk?"

"I'm used to drinking elderflower wine, not Firewhiskey...but do you know what I do remember? James in a pretty pink dress."

Lily's eyes widened. "Really?" Isadora nodded and they burst out laughing.

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Half an hour later, the girls made their way to the common room and found the Marauders hanging out. As they approached, James and Sirius burst out into applause.

"You were great last night, Izzy."

"Yeah. You really know how to take down that Firewhiskey."

Isadora was about to deliver a scathing comment but was interrupted by a nervous looking fifth year girl who approached her. She had soft brown hair that hid her face. She looked like the last thing she wanted was to make her presence known to one of the most popular group of students in the school. "Excuse me. You're Isadora Angelline, right?"

"Yes," responded Isadora impatiently.

"They asked me to give this to you," she squeaked before handing her a rolled up scroll and running off. Remus looked after her curiously.

Isadora sat down on the couch next to Sirius and opened up the scroll to read it. He put his arm around her shoulders and peeked at it. "Dumbledore? Why does Dumbledore want to see you?"

She elbowed him lightly in the ribs and he recoiled in pain. "I don't know, Sirius, but it's rude to read other people's letters."

"You don't think he knows we went to Hogsmeade last night, do you?" asked James.

"No," she said. "He would have asked to see all of us, I would think." Isadora thought privately though, that she wasn't so sure. She had a feeling that Albus would be a lot more lenient on a student that wasn't her.

"Well," James turned to Lily. "In that case, I suppose I won't have to serve detention tonight. Care to join me for dinner?"

"Sorry, Jamie. I don't date girls." With a smug look on her face, Lily walked off to go and sit with her friends.

"I can't believe you told her about that, Isadora!" said James.

"Oh, relax, James. It's not that bad."

"You know I like her. Now she's gonna think I'm lame or something." At this seemingly terrifying thought, James subconsciously ran his hand through his hair, effectively messing it up even more.

"Well, she doesn't seem that impressed with how popular and cool you are, so maybe it's time for her to realize that there's more to you than that."

"Oh, there's a lot more than that," said Sirius. "Like his secret desire to dress up as a woman." In exchange for that comment, Sirius received a textbook thrown at his face.

It was then that Isadora looked around her and realized where exactly she was, and who she was hanging out with. These boys were not her friends. Lily, Alice, and Erica were. "Wait a minute. Why am I sitting here hanging out with you four?" she asked rhetorically.

"Because you're waiting for me to ask you out on another date," drawled Sirius, having recovered from the near disaster it would have been if the thrown book had messed up his hair.

Isadora gave a sharp laugh. "I think not. You won exactly one date from me Sirius. I'm not going out with you again."

"It wasn't even a real date though. We went with Moony and Prongs."

"The venue and company were of your choosing, not mine. Why would I go out with you again?"

"Because you think I'm pretty great."

"What are you talking about?" Instead of responding though, he looked at her intently. She shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

"You don't remember last night, do you Pixie?"

"Of course I do," she sputtered unconvincingly.

"You remember snogging me?

She looked at him scandalized. "You took advantage of me when I was drunk?!"

"Isadora?" interrupted Remus. "I don't mean to be condescending, but you did sort of hang all over him the entire evening."

Isadora looked flabbergasted. "Well…that doesn't give him the right to—"

"Relax, Izzy. You know I would never do that to you," said Sirius. "We didn't do anything bad, just snogged a little."

Isadora went pink, jumped up from the sofa and angrily walked out of the common room. She went through the portrait and steered herself towards Dumbledore's office. Her memory of the night before was starting to return and she was dismayed to recall that she did in fact snog Sirius.

Isadora groaned inwardly as she reached the stone gargoyle. She didn't know why Dumbledore wanted to see her a day earlier than usual, but she was sure it wasn't a good sign. "Cockroach Clusters," she said and ascended the moving stairs.

She entered Dumbledore's office and saw him bent over his desk writing a letter. His long white beard was draped casually over his right shoulder. He looked up when he sensed her presence. "Good afternoon, Isadora."

"I know I'm a little early."

"Not a problem. Have a seat and I will be right with you." His head dropped down to look back at his desk. He continued to scratch his quill across the parchment to finish his letter.

Fawkes flew over to Isadora and landed on her knee. She stroked the bird affectionately for a few minutes.

Isadora's attention was drawn to Dumbledore who had set down his quill and began rolling up the piece of parchment. He then picked his wand up from the desk and conjured some tea and biscuits for them. Isadora's stomach grumbled and she gratefully took the proffered treat.

"Thank you, Albus."

He nodded to her and stayed silent for a moment before asking, "How are you, Isadora?"

She frowned at him. "Albus, while I do appreciate your interest in my health, I think we can both agree that you asked me here for a reason." The question made her a little nervous. Maybe he had found out about her late night excursion with the Marauders?

"I was simply observing the niceties. If you wish to hit upon the point of our meeting however, I would be more than happy to do so." She looked at him expectantly.

"I received a letter from Fulton Goldnot this morning. As you know, he updates me regularly on the state of your financial interests."

Isadora relaxed a little. "Is anything wrong?"

"No, not wrong exactly." He looked as if he were choosing his words. "Fulton tells me that you are going to open a new wing at St. Mungo's in a joint effort with Lucius Malfoy."

"Yes, that's right. We'll be naming it after Janus Thickey."

"Isadora," began Dumbledore. "This sounds like a wonderful idea on paper, but I'm not sure you have fully considered the implications of such an action."

"I'm perfectly aware of Malfoy's ulterior motives." Isadora paused. She decided to test the waters to try and figure out how much Dumbledore knew. "He thinks of me as an asset to be had. A marriage with him would be a good match. I don't intend on accommodating him, however. Don't worry, I can handle myself."

"I'm sure he knows that you can. You're growing up fast, Isadora. Your political aspirations are attracting attention." She arched her eyebrow. "Yes, I know that you intend on pursuing a career in the Ministry. You could be a lot more than just a trophy wife and people know that. You are rapidly placing yourself in a position to be a powerful political figure and ally to whomever can secure your loyalties."

This was nothing that Isadora didn't already know and so she decided to take a chance in order to pry some useful information from him. "And who is it that you think Lucius Malfoy is trying secure my loyalties for?"

It was Dumbledore's turn to be surprised. The look only lasted for a second though and he sighed wearily. "I fear I have underestimated you, Isadora. You are more observant than I would have wished."

"It comes from years of learning to navigate the murky waters of society on my own. Who is it that you think is after me, Albus? I have a right to know."

"I am not so sure that I want you involved in this."

"It's too late for that now."

"No, it's not. I am afraid that I am going to have to insist that you do not enter into this charitable project with Lucius Malfoy."

"You can't do that."

"I can, Isadora. I am your legal guardian and my decision is final."

The girl jumped out of her chair, all vestiges of composure gone. Her teacup fell to the ground and shattered. Dumbledore did not so much as blink.

"This isn't fair, Albus. I have every right to know who is after me. I have spent the last five years taking care of myself while you've been holed up in this school doing Merlin knows what! And during that time, I grew up! I have earned the right to invest my money where I want to and to pursue whatever political avenues I wish!"

Despite her yelling, Dumbledore remained calm. "I admit, you have grown up quickly but you are hardly an adult. That being said, I am responsible for you and I will intervene in your life when I see fit."

Isadora opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped. She took a breath and composed herself. It only took a second. She straightened up, held her chin high, turned around and strolled regally from the room without another word.

She looked calm on the outside, but she was seeing red. Who was Dumbledore to tell her what to do? She had barely spoken to him in five years and now he wanted to act like a parent? She knew a way around Dumbledore but she would have to be sneaky about it. With a couple of carefully written letters she could probably force his hand. Plans of how to accomplish this were racing through her mind as she made her way back to the Gryffindor common room.

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Sirius saw her the second she entered. Isadora kept walking though, completely oblivious to everyone in the room. She looked cold and distant as she went straight for the stairs leading to the girl's dormitories. Before she could reach her destination however, Sirius jumped up and grabbed her arm. "Hey, Izzy. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said angrily as she jerked her arm away from him.

"Relax. Are you still mad over what happened before—"

"Not everything is about you. As much as you'd like to think so, the world does not revolve around the great Sirius Black."

"You don't need to jump down my throat. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

"It's not your job to make sure I'm okay. You're not my boyfriend."

"Fine, fine. Merlin forgive anyone who should take an interest in your well-being." Isadora ignored the comment and turned away from him to go up the steps. Sirius muttered under his breath, "What pixie crawled up your arse?"

This, she could not ignore. She whipped around to face him. "You just can't stand that I don't want to be with you, can you?" Her voice had gotten higher at this point and students in the common room started to take notice.

"What I can't stand, Isadora, is that you want to be with me and I want to be with you and yet, you just keep jerking me around!"

"I refuse to be one of those stupid bimbos that'll go into a broom closet with you the second you smile at them!"

Sirius was livid. He studied her face for a second and then said calmly but mockingly, "If I recall correctly, Isadora, you were perfectly willing to go into a broom closet with me just one week after we met."

Isadora's eyes widened and she just reacted. Everyone in the common room turned around to stare when they heard the sound of her hand connecting with his cheek. Sirius and Isadora looked at each other for a second, both completely stunned. Then she turned and ran up to her dormitory.


	14. Trust

**Hello all,**

**Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter from thenaughtyfairy, bobbyandrogue, sophia, PirateMistressBlack, Babyseal, and HermioneWeasley.**

**First of all I'd like to say thank you to Sophia for pointing out my Quidditch error. I guess I just assumed James was seeker cause he was playing with the snitch in "Snapes Worst Memory." I was dismayed to find out otherwise through the Harry Potter Lexicon. Just so everyone knows, I will be changing it in the story. Alice Greengrass is now the seeker, and James is in his rightful place as chaser.**

**I would also like to address the naughtyfairy's question of whether Isadora acts too old to be thirteen. I must confess, I seriously considered making her fourteen. Let me try and justify her a little however. **

**The reason why Isadora acts so mature is because she spent a lot of time growing up on her own and was forced to take on a lot of responsibility when her parent's died. She is the last one left to carry on her family's name, and it means a lot to her to live up to her parents. Like most children who are faced with a lot of responsibility at a very young age, they either succeed admirably or fail spectacularly and Isadora is obviously a case of the former. (I also think that this makes her a good foil for Sirius as he also grew up on his own in a sense, but never had the responsibility that Isadora has had to deal with.) Also, as noted in the story, her ability to manipulate and fool people comes from her interaction with society-like purebloods, the only kind of people she's really socialized with since her parent's died. (I am operating under the assumption that Beauxbatons praised these kinds of people as well and therefore, while she attended the school, she was never exposed to the wide variety of students that Hogwarts has.)**

**I try to show her young age through her weakness (and through her state of drunkenness previously seen). Like Harry Potter himself, Isadora has a lot of anger and her temper can run unchecked at times, something that is probably highlighted more so in the following chapter.**

**As for why she is so advanced when it comes to magic, you'll find out about that later.**

**Well, there is my lengthy explanation of Isadora. If anyone has any input on the matter, feel free to drop your opinions. I welcome them.**

**Please enjoy the chapter and review.**

**Love from Kassie**

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**Chapter 14: Trust**

"Well, that was quite a show," said James, sitting down on his bed.

"That's the thing about Isadora and I," said Sirius from his own bed. "It seems that we can only either snog or yell at each other, both of which I am sure provide ample amusement for those around us."

"What was the fight about anyway?" asked Remus.

"Nothing in particular, really. She was in a right state, which put me in a sour mood, we both said some nasty bits to one another, and then she slapped me."

"Ever think that maybe she just isn't the right girl for you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind, yes."

"Are you going to talk to her about it?" asked James.

"I don't think so. I know we said some things to each other, but she really didn't have to slap me."

"It was a bit harsh. That girl does have a temper on her."

"Don't I know it. I don't just want to give into her on this one. I stand by what I said. She needs to figure out what it is she wants. I'm tired of getting jerked around. I don't know how much longer I want to sit around waiting for her."

"Doesn't feel too good getting messed with, does it?" asked Remus.

"Not really, no."

"Ever think about how you treat other girls? How do you think they feel?"

"That's different, Moony. Girls in this school know what I'm like. I don't promise them things and I don't tell them I'm in love with them. It's not my fault that they fool themselves into thinking that they can change me."

"Well then, why should Isadora be persuaded to be with you? She's smarter than those other girls who delude themselves."

"That's not what I meant, Moony. I like Izzy. I actually want to try going out with her."

"Have you told her that?"

"Of course I have. She's just stubborn."

Remus looked skeptically at his friend. He was sure that anything he told Isadora was probably done in his trademark cocky manner. He probably killed any of the sincerity that would have won Isadora over. Remus decided however that he had interfered long enough and made his way back to the common room after a soft goodbye to his friends.

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"Finally," said Isadora as she sat down next to Lily and Alice in the Great Hall. "I thought that the weekend would never come. Dealing with class and Sirius made this week absolute hell."

"You and Sirius looked particularly cold to each other in Potion's yesterday," commented Lily.

"Not at all. Being cold to someone implies that you actually have contact with the person."

"How do you get any work done?" asked Alice.

"Oh, we've silently agreed that he should have nothing to do with our project. He much prefers hitting on that blond Hufflepuff bimbo and I get more work done without him bothering me."

"Don't you think you two should talk?" asked Lily. "Try to work this out?"

"There's nothing to work out. He acted like a jerk."

"Isadora. You know that you were pretty mean to him too."

"So, what? You're on his side now?"

"I'm not on anyone's side. I'm just saying you know that you both said some things you probably regret. And no matter what you say, I know that deep down, you like him too. I just think that you should try to work this out. It is Valentine's Day after all," she said hopefully.

"Well if there is one thing you can count on today, it's that there will be no love between Sirius and I. I am so sick of that self-centered prat," said Isadora stubbornly. "If you think he's so great Lily, why don't you go out with him?" With that she got up and walked sullenly out of the Great Hall.

Isadora walked out the front door and saw the crowds of students heading off towards the Quidditch pitch to watch the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Instead of following however, she walked towards the lake and made her way to her favorite spot.

Isadora felt bad for how she had treated Lily. She would have to be sure to apologize to the girl later. She didn't know why she was acting like this. She had been filled with anxiety all week because of Dumbledore and Sirius. As a result, she had been lashing out at people like a four year old. She didn't know why she always let her temper get the better of her.

As Isadora arrived at the clearing by the lake, Ash appeared as if sensing how sullen she was. She spent the rest of the morning by the lake, letting the calm of the beautiful bird wash away her own anxieties.

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After a long time of sitting and thinking, Isadora's stomach grumbled and she realized it must be time for lunch soon. She said goodbye to Ash and made her way up to the castle. As she neared the lawn, she saw that the Quidditch match was indeed over and she wondered dimly who had won. Probably Gryffindor. Hufflepuff wasn't much of a match for them this season and everybody knew it.

Isadora entered the Great Hall, saw the happy faces at the Gryffindor table and knew that her assumption was correct. She made her way down the table, found Lily and the girls and sat down.

"Hi," she said.

"Isadora," began Lily. "I'm sorry about this morning."

"Don't be," she said quickly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I've just been in a pretty bad mood lately."

"You shouldn't let Sirius get to you so much," the older girl said. "Just try and ignore him."

As if by magic, Sirius himself appeared in order to make the advice difficult to follow. And of course, he wasn't alone. Attached to his arm was the blonde Hufflepuff, Amber Lee. Sirius steered the girl into the seat right next to Isadora and sat down beside her. Shortly thereafter, the rest of the Marauders joined them, eyeing their friend suspiciously. Isadora just glared at the food on her plate, as if daring it to do something that would piss her off. Lily looked worriedly at the scene but wisely chose to stay silent.

"So, er, Amber," said James uncomfortably. "How are you?"

"Great. Me and Sirius are back together," she responded in a bubbly voice.

"We're not dating, Amber," said Sirius quickly.

"But Siriuuus." The boy winced when she said his name in a sing-song sort of voice. "Don't you want to—" Sirius quickly shut Amber up by kissing her and to Isadora's dismay, the dumb blonde did not object.

Remus was disgusted. "Do you mind not doing that while we're eating?"

"Sorry, Moony," said Sirius coming up for air. He started piling food onto his plate and shoveling it into his mouth.

"Sirius, are you going to take me to Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

"I don't know," he said in between bites.

"But it'll be so romantic tomorrow. There will still be Valentine's decorations up in Madam Puddifoot's."

"I am not going into that place with you," said Sirius mockingly. Isadora was listening intently to their conversation and was pleased to hear him say this.

"Oh, pleaaase, Sirius." She leaned in close to him to say something in his ear.

Whatever it was she said must have amused because Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "See, this is why I like you Amber," he said loudly and for Isadora's benefit. "You're perfectly willing to admit that you enjoy spending time with me in a broom closet."

At this, Isadora slammed her cup of pumpkin juice onto the table. Amber liquid spread over the white tablecloth. Everyone in the immediate vicinity winced (the exception being Sirius and Amber). Isadora stood up, walked around Amber and stopped in front of Sirius to look down at him.

He was looking very haughty. "Can I help you?" he drawled.

Isadora's voice was low and deadly. "You. Come with me. Now."

"Excuse me," said Amber. "We were talking."

"I don't care, you dumb trollop." Lily gasped at this. Amber looked slightly terrified of the younger girl.

"Sirius, get up, and get moving."

"Isadora," he said calmly. "I'm not going anywhere with—" Sirius was cut off by Isadora roughly grabbing his arm and practically dragging him off the bench. He was surprised by the small girl's burst of strength and simply let her drag him out of the Great Hall. Every student in there and even some of the teachers turned to watch the spectacle.

Back at the table, their friends just stared after them in shock. James turned to Remus and said, "She's going to kill him."

"Don't you think you're being a little melodramatic?"

"No." James rummaged in his pocket for a second to see what he had in there. "Five sickles says he comes back with at least a black eye, if not having been hit with a full on conjunctivitus curse."

"You're on," said Remus.

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Still gripping Sirius's arm, Isadora found a deserted courtyard, walked over to a bench and pushed him down onto it. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it. She just stared down at him.

Sirius lounged comfortably on the bench. He looked bored. "You brought me here, Isadora," he said disinterestedly. "I know I'm attractive but are you just going to sit there and stare at me?"

Isadora looked down and fidgeted with her tie. "Ugh," she muttered under her breath. "I'm complete shite at this sort of thing."

"Excuse me?" he said.

"Fine, here it goes. Sirius, I'm sorry."

Sirius's haughty look quickly disapparated only to be replaced with one of incredulity. "I don't think I heard you correctly. Could you speak into my good ear?"

Isadora sat down next to him and put her head in her hands. "I'm sorry," she said almost defiantly.

"Wow. Never thought I'd hear you say that."

"Well, I know I was acting like a real bitch that day. I was just kind of freaking out and took it out on the first person I saw. Honestly, it had nothing to do with you."

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

He threw up his hands in frustration. "You never tell me anything about yourself, Izzy."

"I don't have to tell you anything. I am not your girlfriend, Sirius."

"I want you to be. Just tell me what happened. Is it really that terrible?"

"No. I just…I had tea with Albus Dumbledore that afternoon."

"I forgot about that. Did he find out about Hogsmeade?"

"No."

"Then what happened?"

"He just pissed me off?"

"Dumbledore? How?" He looked at her expectantly. He sighed when she didn't say anything. "Pixie, I didn't tell anyone about Ash, did I?"

"Fine. I did tell you my parent's died that night we were drunk?" He nodded. "Sorry, details from that night are a little fuzzy. Well, anyways...Albus is my legal guardian."

Sirius eyes widened. "Really? Why is that? You have no other family?"

"He is my family," she said somewhat reluctantly. "Uncle Albus. I used to call him that when I was little. He's not really my uncle though. He's something like my first cousin once removed, I think. Not really sure. Dumbledore's father, Percival, was my grandfather's brother. On my mum's side. Slightly confusing, I know."

"Wow. You're as pureblooded as it gets, aren't you? A Dumbledore and an Angelline? So, I take it you and he don't have the best of relationships, do you?"

"Not exactly, no. He was always busy here at Hogwarts and we didn't see much of each other after my parents died. Then he shipped me off to Beauxbatons."

"So what did he do to piss you off last week?"

"He's just been very controlling since I started here. I suppose I resent it. I practically raised myself the past five years and now he wants to interfere in my life?"

They were both silent for a minute. "Well, as long as we're talking, are there any other secrets you'd like to share?" he asked.

Isadora laughed a little. "No, I think that's enough for today."

Sirius looked at her thoughtfully for a second and then leaned over to kiss her. She quickly pulled away. "Sirius, just because we're talking, that doesn't mean that I want to be with you."

His face hardened and he glared at her. "That's a lie Izzy, and you know it. Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't like me."

She did as he said and murmured softly, "You know I do."

"Then why won't you be with me?"

"Because I don't trust you!"

He studied her for a second. "But you just told me those things about your family?"

"I trust you as a friend, Sirius, not as a boyfriend. You have quite a reputation in this school and you worked hard to get it."

"With the exception of Amber today, I haven't been with another girl in almost 6 weeks and you know it. You're different, Izzy. I actually like you. I can't promise that if we started dating it would be definitely work out but I'm willing to give it a try. I can promise you that I won't cheat on you. I'm known for acting a bit impetuous when it comes to a pretty girl but I have more self-control than you think." Isadora looked at him skeptically. "I can't do this anymore, Izzy, this back and forth thing. You need to decide right now what you want, because this is it for me. This is gonna be my last attempt at getting you to change your mind. Just give me a chance, Izzy. I think I deserve that much."

She smiled lightly and he grinned at her. She had finally cracked. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. This time, she didn't pull away.

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An hour later, they walked hand in hand down the empty corridors on their way up to Gryffindor Tower. Before they reached the portrait though, Isadora stopped and turned toward Sirius.

"We need to discuss a few things before we go in there," she said.

"Okay. Talk."

"Just because I'm giving you a chance, this doesn't mean that we are dating."

"What does it mean then?" he asked quizzically.

"It means that we can go out on dates until I get to know you a little better."

"So we'll be going out on dates, but we're not dating?"

"Exactly. You're not my boyfriend and I'm not your girlfriend."

"You're mental. You do know that?"

"I'm being serious."

"I thought I was."

"Very funny, Sirius. Look, let's just keep this between ourselves for right now. No holding hands, kissing in public, let's just keep it private."

He looked at her curiously before his face broke out into a grin. "Whatever you say, Pixie." He trailed after her as she went into the common room. They found the Marauders sitting down and talking quietly in the midst of the Quidditch celebration. When Sirius and Isadora sat down, the teenagers looked at them expectantly.

Remus and James were looking Sirius up and down. He seemed to be unhurt. Remus held out his hand and James grudgingly gave him the 5 sickles from his pocket.

"What was that about?" asked Isadora.

"I thought you were going to kill him," James said sourly. Isadora gave him a look that said she wasn't pleased. Sirius just chuckled.

"Now, Prongs," he said. "Izzy would never hurt her boyfriend."

At this comment, there was a series of exclamations from their friends. Isadora was flabbergasted. "Sirius! What did I just tell you three seconds ago? You're positively ridiculous. It's in one ear and out the other with you." Sirius just grinned cockily.

"Wait a minute," said James. "Are you two dating now?"

"No! We most certainly are not."

"Yes we are," said Sirius lazily. "Izzy here just hasn't admitted it to herself yet."

"You're unbelievable," said Isadora. She rolled her eyes at him, stood up and went up the stairs to her dormitory.

"I'll see you at dinner, sweetie," yelled Sirius with a smile on his face.

"You know Padfoot," said Remus. "If you really want her to be your girlfriend, you might try not to piss her off so much."

"I can't help it, Moony. I just love that cute little pout she gets on her face when she's angry."

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**Hope you enjoyed. About the Dumbledore being a pureblood name: not too sure about this. I know Albus is a half-blood but that's because Kendra is a muggle. I think I'm right in assuming that before Kendra, the line stayed pureblooded. Therefore, it is conceivable that should Isadora be a cousin (and assuming other relatives married those of the blood), she should be pureblooded on both the Dumbledore and the Angelline side. Feel free to give me some input on this.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**


	15. As Reported by Rita Skeeter

**Hello all,**

**Thanks to HermioneWeasley, silverstagbeauty, Baby seal, and bobbyandrogue for their reviews.**

**Love from Kassie**

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**Chapter 15: As Reported by Rita Skeeter**

Sirius had been trying Isadora's patience all week. His constant attempts to hold her hand in the hallways or put his arm around her at meal times were infuriating. She was also getting very sick of the girls that were giving her filthy looks. She hated to admit it but Sirius was a highly desired mate at Hogwarts. He had never focused his attentions on one girl for very long and everyone wanted to be the one to tame him. The fact that Isadora had done so without even trying to had incited jealousy in much of the female population.

Sirius ceased his daily attempts at seduction however when he picked up the Daily Prophet one morning. He found a particularly interesting article on the front page that caught his attention. Isadora came and sat down next to him when he was about halfway through. She looked at him expectantly when he didn't so much as try to kiss her on the cheek. Not that she would have let him. "Sirius?" she asked. "Are you all right?" He looked up at her grimly but did not respond. Instead, he handed her the newspaper. One glance told Isadora what was wrong with him. She smiled when she read the headline and skimmed the first couple of paragraphs.

_**Malfoy and Angelline Join Forces to Benefit St. Mungo's**_

_As reported by new society columnist Rita Skeeter_

_A ray of light shone through the increasingly darker times experienced by the wizarding world this week when it was announced that a new wing would be built at St. Mungo's in honor of wizard Janus Thickey. The wing will be devoted to those suffering long term spell damage._

_The wing is being built through a generous donation from the wealthy Mister Lucius Malfoy and Madame Isadora Nicole Angelline, who has been a fairly recent but prominent figure in society. In a bold move, the two have publicly joined forces to further awareness of the difficulties those with long term spell damage face. Those in the know, however, suspect that more will come from this alliance than a simple charitable donation. Should we be expecting wedding bells in the future? A match between the two preeminent families would certainly be a providential one._

Isadora winced when she read the last part. She wasn't expecting that. Her intent was to force Albus's hand, not spread a rumor that she was engaged to Lucius Malfoy. She glanced up at the front of the hall and saw Dumbledore sitting at the head table. He looked livid. She then looked over at Sirius who was still staring at her intently. He didn't look angry, just calm, as if waiting for her response. "It's not true," she said quickly.

"You're not _joining forces_ with Lucius Malfoy?" he said sarcastically.

"Well, we are building a wing at the hospital together. But we're hardly getting married." Isadora inwardly cursed Rita for her gross hyperbole.

Sirius frowned. "Do you think that's such a good idea? Getting involved with Lucius Malfoy."

"It's just a charitable donation, Sirius. That's all." Sirius frowned and looked like he wanted to say more, but instead kept his mouth shut. Isadora felt bad. She knew it must have hurt him to see those things written about her. She sullenly picked at her breakfast but found that she wasn't hungry anymore. "Can we go somewhere and talk?" she asked suddenly.

"You want to talk?" he asked a bit foolishly.

"Yeah. Just about what's been happening with this and everything," she said gesturing towards the newspaper.

"Am I hearing you correctly?" he asked haughtily. "Isadora Angelline wants to talk to someone about her personal life? The world must be coming to an end."

"Stop it," she said and pushed his arm playfully.

"Come on," he said seriously. "We have ten minutes or so before class." He stood up to go and she followed him out of the Great Hall. He found them a bench to sit on in a deserted corridor. "What's going on?" he asked as they sat down.

Isadora took a deep breath and told him everything that had happened since she started school that year. She explained about Regulus and Muliciber approaching her and how she thought it was connected to Lucius Malfoy. She also told him about Dumbledore's response to these encounters and how he had mysteriously forbid her from investing in St. Mungo's with Malfoy.

When she was finished, Isadora just looked at Sirius, waiting for him to give her some advice. He looked thoughtful for a second. "I think Dumbledore's right. I don't think you should get involved with Malfoy. He's not a great character."

"You've met him?"

"He was a sixth year when I first started Hogwarts. Tried to recruit me into his little gang of Slytherins my first day. Quite a shock to all when I was sorted into Gryffindor."

"What do you think he wants with me?"

Sirius hesitated before responding. "I can't be sure, but I think that he's working for Lord Voldemort."

Isadora looked at him in shock. "The dark wizard? That's a little far fetched, don't you think? I mean, I've heard rumors and things about disappearances and murders being attributed to him, but nothing's been proven. Isn't it a little ridiculous to think that he'd be interested in me?"

"Not at all. From what I understand, he likes to recruit his followers young. Who do you think my brother and his friends are in line to serve?"

"Regulus? Really?"

"I can't be completely sure of it, mind you. And I don't really believe that Regulus knows what he's getting into either. I do know that Voldemort believes in purity of the blood and having powerful supporters. People like Malfoy and certain older cousins of mine are exactly the kind who believe in those ideals as well."

"Cousins? Are you talking about Narcissa and Bellatrix Black?"

"You've met them?" She nodded. "The last time I saw Bellatrix was her last year at Hogwarts. She never told me outright but she definitely insinuated that she would be moving on to bigger things after school. She always was a right nutter. It comes from the damn inbreeding in my family. Voldemort's cause would be the exact type of thing she'd go for."

They sat in silence thinking about what all of this meant. "So you don't think I should be working with Lucius Malfoy?"

"No, I don't. But it's a little late for that now. Now that it's in the Prophet, you can't back out of the donation without ruining your family name. You got exactly what you wanted." The trouble was, Isadora wasn't so sure that she wanted it anymore.

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At the start of her free period that afternoon, Dumbledore wasted no time in requesting her presence. When Isadora received the note, she made her way up there immediately. She arrived to find his door already open. As she entered the office, Dumbledore looked up and motioned for her to come in. "Sit," he said curtly.

She did as she was told and he set the Daily Prophet in front of her. "You're a very clever girl, Isadora. However did you manage this? Most reporters won't write a story without some sort of confirmation of its authenticity."

Isadora looked up at him nervously. She'd never seen him look so angry. "Rita Skeeter is an aspiring columnist at the Prophet. I've met her once or twice at the ministry, but I always dismissed her before now. I thought she'd be useful for getting this story in the paper. She's young, ambitious, and desperate to get her name out there. I was angry with you and acted rashly. A part of me does regret it now."

"I daresay you weren't expecting that bit about a possible marriage."

"No."

"Toying with an ambitious reporter is like baiting a chimaera. I hope you learned your lesson. Either way, you've accomplished what you set out to do. I won't ask you to ruin your family's name. You're free to invest in St. Mungo's. Dismissed." With that, he turned his attention back to the papers he had on his desk.

Isadora was about to walk away, but stopped herself. She had to know something. "Albus, you should have told me the truth."

He looked up at her. "I don't need to explain my actions to you."

"But if you had, I might have considered what I was doing. You said to me that Lucius Malfoy was trying to secure my loyalties for another person. It's that dark wizard, isn't it? Lord Voldemort?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I talked to Sirius Black. I told him what's been happening. He reckons that's who you were trying to protect me from."

Dumbledore sighed and put down his quill. "Yes, he would've realized that. Certain members of his family have already become wrapped up in this matter. You understand then, why I tried to stop you from doing this? I'll allow you to work with Malfoy this one time but that's it. No more."

"Yes. But I was thinking. This doesn't have to be completely pointless. I know you, Albus. I'm sure that you've been following this dark wizard for awhile and that you've been trying to undermine him. I could help. I could try and get information from—"

"NO!" he bellowed. "You will do no such thing. If you're smart enough to have figured out all of this then you're smart enough to understand why I won't allow you to spy for me. You might be a very clever girl but you are still only thirteen years old and moreover, you're family. Your parents would never forgive me if I put you in such a dangerous position. You will forget all about this and will not bring up the matter again. Do you understand me, Isadora?"

"Yes," she answered quietly. He gave her a curt nod and she turned around and left the office. This time however, she didn't intend on disobeying him.

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	16. Crazy in Love

**Hello All,**

**I'm back. Ugh…15 chapters and 38,000 words with no problem and now, writer's block decides to sink its fangs into me. Turns out, I'm human after all. I seriously debated posting this chapter. I'm not too happy with it. It's more of an interlude than a formal chappie. Whatever, I hope you like it better than I do. My next one will be more up to scratch.**

**Thanks to SilverStagBeauty, LadyKnightSusan, hpfan4ever, Babyseal, EveyM, bobbyandrogue, Hermione09Weasley, Hogwartzchick81, and thenaughtyfairy for their reviews.**

**BTW, updates will be take longer now that school has started. I am a graduate student with a lot of work. Just giving warning.**

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**Chapter 16: Crazy in Love**

"So, what did Malfoy say about Skeeter's article?"

"Nothing. We didn't really get a chance to talk. The ceremony itself was kind of hectic, not much time to converse."

Isadora and Sirius were sitting at a table in the Hogwarts kitchens. It was late as she had just gotten back from the dedication ceremony for the new wing at St. Mungo's. She was starving and Sirius (who had been acting increasingly more romantic over the last few weeks) had offered to take her downstairs for dinner.

Sirius grunted. "I'm sure he's happy as a gnome in a one acre garden about that stupid article. He must love the insinuation that you two are engaged."

"Are you jealous?' Isadora asked playfully.

"Of that prat? Hardly."

"I never thought I'd see the day. Sirius Black feeling threatened by another man? Are you worried I'll leave you for him?"

He frowned at her. "Keep this up and I just might be. Besides, it's not as if we're actually dating, right?" he said sarcastically.

"That hasn't stopped you from telling everyone that I'm you're girlfriend."

"Well, I say you are. Most of our friends think so too. You're the only one that seems to have a problem with the idea."

Isadora sighed and set down her fork. She walked around the table and sat down next to him. After taking his face in her hands, she kissed him softly, then pulled back. "I know I'm not ready to make this thing official yet, but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. And there's no one else in the picture, just you. Okay?"

"For now," he said before leaning his head down to kiss her again.

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"Where are you going now?" asked Isadora.

"Care of Magical Creatures," responded Lily.

"I'll walk you down there," she said as they made their way towards the entrance hall. "I'm gonna relax on the lawn and take advantage of the first decent weather of the season."

As they went out the front door and looked at the expanse of green grass, the first thing they noticed was the Marauders a little way off.

"Awww, Isadora. There's your boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Just make it official already."

"No. I still don't trust him not to drop his pants the second a girl throws herself at him. And I wouldn't talk if I were you Lily. You're not exactly immune to a certain Marauder's charm."

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh please. I see the way you stare at James when you think no one's looking. Moony sees it too, although he's too nice to say anything."

"What. Uh. I do not," sputtered Lily.

"Very convincing."

"Well, you can just…go make out with Sirius!"

"You know I already do that when no one's around to see it."

"And yet, you still won't call him your boyfriend," said Lily as she stalked off to go to her Care of Magical Creatures Class.

Isadora shook her head and chuckled a little before making her way over to the Marauders. James was sitting playing with a snitch and Peter was watching him with growing excitement. Remus was reading a book and Sirius was just sitting there looking haughty and bored as per usual. Isadora announced her presence with a quick hello and sat down with them. In one swift motion, Sirius immediately tried to put his arm around her and she swatted it away.

"Hey, Isadora?" asked James dreamily. He was still playing with the snitch but his eyes were focused elsewhere. Isadora looked in that direction and saw Lily's retreating form. "Is she ever going to speak to me?"

"She does every now and then."

"No. She yells at me. Never speaks to me."

"Prongsie," said Sirius. "You just need to be persistent. Keep bothering her until she finally goes out with you."

Isadora scoffed, "Yes, listen to Sirius. There's someone with good advice."

"Well, what would you do then?" asked James.

"Nothing. I don't like her that way."

"Come on, Isadora. I don't like her. I'm crazy in love with her."

She looked at him skeptically and then laughed at the puppy dog expression on his face. "All right, you promise not to break her heart?"

James nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I promise. Just tell me what to do."

"Well, first off," she began while wrenching the snitch from his hands. "Stop playing with that stupid snitch." James went to run his empty hand through his already rumpled hair, but Isadora stopped him. "And stop doing that stupid thing with your hair. She hates that."

"Okay, what else do I have to do?"

"Well, stop asking her out for one. Just let her be for a little while. Stop pestering her and be a gentleman. If she's leaving a room, open the door for her, but don't expect praise because of it. Just give her some space."

James was eating up every word she was saying. "Okay, but if I can't ask her out, how will I get her to go out with me?"

"Just leave that part to me. Oh, and one more thing," said Isadora. "Get her Chocoballs. She loves them. Get her one box, once a week and leave it anonymously in her room. I know you know how to get up there."

James frowned. "Did you just tell her all of our secrets, Padfoot?"

"It's not my fault she found the map," he replied lazily from where he lounged on the grass. James glared at Peter who tried to cower.

"Bollocks, Wormtail," said James before standing up. "Sometimes you're like a spare prick at a wedding, you know that?" He looked at Isadora and gave her a small smile. "Thanks for the help. I'm off to get some chocolate." Isadora nodded goodbye.

Remus looked up from his book again and made eye contact with Sirius. The dark haired boy looked like he was considering something, "One Galleon says he doesn't get so much as a date with Lily."

Remus didn't hesitate, "You're on. I have faith in Isadora."

"This has nothing to do with Izzy. He's been asking her out for six years and she still hasn't caved. I doubt my Pixie will be able to make a difference."

"Do you boys bet on everything?" interrupted the girl in question.

"Not everything," said Sirius.

"Speak for yourself, Padfoot," said Remus. "Prongs and I are always betting on how long each of your girlfriends will last." Too late, he realized what he had said. Before he could apologize though, Isadora had jumped up and ran off.

"Great. Thanks, Moony," said Sirius, getting up to follow her.

"No, it's my fault," said Remus, getting up also. "I'll go talk to her. She just hangs out with us so much now, I kind of forget she's your girlfriend and not one of the guys."

Sirius cocked his eyebrow at his friend, "You have trouble remembering she's a girl?"

"You know what I mean. I was friend's with her before you two had anything going really."

Sirius shook his head and said, "Well, I'd better get going."

"Where to? I said I'd talk to her."

"To catch up with Prongs. I have a feeling I'll need some chocolate or something for her after you opened your big mouth."

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Isadora was sitting in the library trying to get some work done when two giggly fifth years approached her. One was a tall brunette girl with shocking blue eyes and the other was a shorter and darker haired girl. She recognized them from one of her classes but couldn't place their names. One of them said through giggles, "Hey, Isadora. We just wanted to know, is it true that you and Sirius Black are dating?"

Isadora steeled herself. Why did everything always come back to him? Why was everyone so interested in the status of their relationship? "No, it's not," she responded through clenched teeth.

"Well, that is what everyone is saying."

"I really must read about this scholar called _Everyone_," said Isadora sarcastically. "He seems to talk a lot without actually saying a thing."

The two girls looked at each other confusedly, then backed off, obviously sensing the younger girl's foul mood. Isadora was not left alone for long however. Pretty soon, Remus made his way into the library looking for her. She made a rude and very unladylike noise as he sat down next to her. "Isadora, I'm sorry," he began. "I shouldn't have said that. You shouldn't be mad at Sirius because of it."

"I'm not mad at him. He didn't do anything wrong. I'm pissed with you."

"Isadora, I just sort of forgot that you two were dating."

"We're not."

"Then why are you so pissed?" She scowled at the use of his logic. "Look, do you want to know what the current bet was about?"

"Not particularly," she growled.

"Oh, I think you do. The bet we have going right now isn't about how long it'll take Sirius to get tired of you. It's about how long it'll take for you get fed up with him."

She looked up at him curiously. "Really?"

He nodded. "Well, not exactly. James thinks that you'll never cave and that Sirius will just be waiting around for you until the end of the year."

"And what do you think?"

"Let's just say you have until the end of April to make your relationship public."

She looked at him skeptically. "Long shot of that happening."

"You do know he won't wait around for you forever? In fact, knowing Sirius, I'd say you'd better make up your mind before the summer holiday. He won't stay faithful to you all break if you can't even make a commitment to him."

Isadora sighed exasperatedly. "I know, I just…I'm not ready yet." He shrugged his shoulders letting her know that the decision was hers to make. As Remus stood up to leave, he gave her a small, but comforting pat on the back. Isadora was left alone to sift through her thoughts.

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	17. At Last

**Hello Darlings,**

**Yes, I'm back. No, I have not forgotten about this story.**

**In addition to having a lot of school work, I have recently had a death in the family and have found it difficult to write. Thank you all very much for your patience and I hope I haven't lost some of my loyal readers.**

**A special thank you to LadyKnightSusan, Baby seal, Hermione09Weasley, bobbyandrogue, EveyM, and Erica for their kind reviews.**

**I hope you enjoy and that this makes up for my long absence.**

**-Love from Kassie**

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Chapter 17: At Last**

Isadora looked at her red headed friend and smiled at the girl's dazed expression. "Lily? Earth to Lily. Are you there or has someone petrified you?"

"What? Oh. Sorry, Isadora. I didn't hear you," said Lily, turning to look at her from her seat in the Great Hall.

"I can see that. You look like a little schoolgirl with a crush. Daydreaming, are we?"

"No. I was just wondering who it is that has been sending me those chocolates."

Isadora smiled knowingly, "Ever think it could be James Potter?"

Lily let out a high-pitched laugh, "I don't think so, Isadora. James Potter? He's about as subtle as a banshee. I doubt he would even think about things I like, much less follow through and deliver them to me in a romantic sort of way."

"So, you think it's romantic?"

"Of course it is. Which is why it's completely beyond Potter to…" she trailed off.

"What?" prompted Isadora.

"Well, it's just that he has been less of a toerag lately. He's actually been pretty nice. He's stopped asking me out every five seconds."

"I haven't seen him hexing Snape lately."

"Just because we haven't seen it doesn't mean he's not doing it."

Isadora and Lily practically fell off of their respective benches when a large, brown, barn owl landed in the jug of pumpkin juice between them. Isadora recovered first, realized what happened, and took a newspaper from the bird's beak after depositing a couple of knuts into the pouch around its neck. The bird shook itself off, jumped into the air, and flew back out the window through which it came.

Isadora opened up the paper and scanned the front page. Lily had rearranged herself back onto the bench when the Marauders minus James showed up (he was at Quidditch practice with Alice and Erica). The boys found seats next to the girls: Sirius next to Isadora and Remus and Peter next to Lily. Peter immediately started stuffing his face with food and did not look up for the rest of the meal.

As Sirius sat down, he looked over Isadora's shoulder at the _Prophet_ that she was perusing, "Anything interesting?"

"Sure," she replied casually. "You're cousin and my cousin finally made an official announcement of their engagement. Even made the front page."

Sirius grunted and took a piece of toast from the table, "Which cousin? Narcissa or Bella? Both of them seemed pretty close to the altar last I checked."

"Bellatrix, of course. Rudolphus is my cousin, not Lucius. Not that there is any guarantee that Narcissa will land a Malfoy. He didn't look too smitten with her last I saw them."

"Rudolphus Lestrange is your cousin?" interrupted Remus. "A first cousin?"

Isadora shook her head. "Not a first. My mother wasn't a Lestrange. She was…uh," Isadora stumbled a bit at this. Sirius smirked at her slip-up. Remus and Lily gave each other quizzical looks but decided to let it slide. Isadora plowed on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened, "…she's from another family. I'm related to Rudolphus through my father, on the Angelline side. Let me think. My grandfather was Damon Angelline. He married Letisha Lestrange. I know. Anyone who can name their daughter that can't be in a right state. Anyways, her brother was Rawdon Lestrange, whose son was Rowland Lestrange. He married Elixa Crouch, she's dead now, and they had Rudolphus and Rabastan. So that means that my grandfather and their grandmother were married…I guess that makes them my second cousins."

Isadora finished abruptly and looked at her friends expectantly. With the exception of Sirius (who was grinning slyly as per usual) they all had dazed expressions on their face. Remus spoke up first, "How do you remember all those names?"

"Oh, that? My great-great-great-grandfather left a family tree in the manor, a pretty comprehensive magical one. It's burned into the wood of one of the drawing rooms. It actually grows as the years pass and new names appear when an Angelline gets married or has a child or something like that," she turned to Sirius. "Your parents must have something like that in their house."

Sirius' grin dissolved into a scowl, "A tapestry with everyone's names. I've probably been taken off it though, being a blood traitor and all."

Isadora winced a little and squeezed his hand lightly under the table. "Well, my parents weren't all blood crazy, but they were proud of their family. The tree was pretty important to them so I've made sure to take care of it. I guess I just memorized it along the way. I suppose it will stop growing soon or die or something, though."

"Why?" asked Lily.

"Well, I'm the last Angelline, aren't I?" she responded matter-of-factly. "Names don't pass on through the mother. The last names to appear on the tree will probably be my husband's and my children. It's all right though, the damn thing's big enough already. Goes all the way back almost to the seventeenth century. Not sure that there's much wall left for it to grow on. It might start taking over the windows or something."

Remus whistled appreciatively, "That's sounds fascinating. I'd love to see it one day. I didn't know you could trace ancestry that far back."

"Apparently, my ancestor who created it was something of a historian. From what I understand though, it's not too difficult to trace back the pureblooded lines that are still around. It's the ones that have been phased out that are difficult to find. I've never even heard of some of the older families on my tree."

"Were there really that many more pureblooded families back then as opposed to now?" asked Lily.

"Are you taking a piss?" asked Sirius. "About three times as much. There's not too many to choose from nowadays. They've all been diluted or blended together. That's why there's a crazy in every family. Inbreeding. Every pureblood family is related to every other in some way, whether it be through marriage or birth. Bellatrix and my mother just so happen to be the crazies in my family."

Isadora rolled her eyes at him.

Remus thought about it for a second and decided to ask the question he knew would freak Sirius out, "So, Padfoot. If we follow your logic, that must mean that you and Isadora are related in some way." He watched as Sirius's eyes widened in realization and then flicked quickly over to Isadora as the person who would know the answer to that question.

"No," she said firmly. "We are not directly related. I checked it out already." Sirius relaxed visibly. "The only Black I saw on the tree was over two hundred years ago. We will however, be distant cousins through marriage once Bellatrix and Rudolphus tie the knot."

"Not that distant," said Lily teasingly. "If your second cousin marries his first cousin, that makes the both of you third cousins."

"Third cousins through marriage," corrected Sirius, with his trademark grin. "I can live with that. Come on," he said getting up. "All this talk about family and purebloods is giving me a headache. I want to go watch some quidditch."

"You go on ahead," said Lily, standing up. "Isadora and I are going to the library."

"To the library? On a Saturday?" said Sirius to Isadora, as she stood up also. "Come on, Pixie. It's the first warm day of spring. Don't you want to spend it outside, watching quidditch with your boyfriend?"

"You are not my boyfriend," she responded in an irritated manner. "Besides, I have the last of my O.W.L.'s coming up in less than three months. I need to study. C'mon, Lily," she said, turning to her friend. "Let's get to it."

"Actually," said Remus. "I think I'll join you two. I have some studying I'd like to get done too." After saying their goodbyes, the three teenagers left Sirius alone with Peter. He looked down at the pudgy boy who was still sitting at the table, stuffing his face full of food.

"Aww, c'mon Wormtail. Let's go watch the team practice."

Peter looked up, surprised that anyone would ask him something. He saw his friend walking away and jumped up skittishly to run after him.

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Later that day, Isadora and Lily were leaving the library to go to lunch. Remus had left earlier to talk to James and Sirius about something or other. As they walked through the labyrinthine corridors and staircases, Lily kept gushing about her secret admirer.

"Maybe it's that Hufflepuff prefect. Charlie, you know?"

"A Hufflepuff? Lily! They are about as dull as flobberwoms."

"Charlie happens to be very nice. And he's very studious."

"You can't be serious, Lily. You need someone a little livelier. Most importantly, you need some excitement in your life—" Isadora stopped walking when they heard insipid giggling from around the corner.

"Hey, Sirius!"

"Blast! Lily, come here," whispered Isadora, as she pushed Lily against the wall before they could walk any farther. Isadora took a quick peek around the corner and mouthed to her friend, "It's Sirius and Amber."

They heard more of the stupid giggling and then, "Oh, c'mon, Sirius. I know you miss me."

"Not exactly, darling, no."

"Well, I'm sure you miss all the fun we use to have in the astronomy tower." Isadora was practically seething at this point.

Sirius chuckled a little. "It was a bit of fun. Unfortunately for you, I have a girlfriend now."

"Who? Isadora Angelline? She doesn't even call you her boyfriend."

Sirius's voice hardened. "That's between Izzy and me, Amber. I'd appreciate you keeping your mouth shut about it."

"I'm sorry, Siri, baby. I didn't mean anything by it. What do you say we go find a place to be alone and I make it up to you."

"Amber—"

"I promise that Isadora won't hear a thing about it."

"Really?"

"Really."

Isadora was about ready to jump out and attack Sirius when he spoke again, "You know, Amber. I've never seen you look quite this desperate. It doesn't suit you."

Isadora and Lily gave each other looks of pure shock. Lily recovered quickly though, when she heard two sets of footsteps walking: one set away from them and the other coming towards them. "Quick, in here," she whispered as she shoved Isadora into the nearest classroom and followed, closing the door quietly behind her. They heard someone walk past the door and continue down the corridor. They knew it was Amber because as she passed, she made a silly sound of indignation.

Lily looked over at Isadora. The younger girl had a sort of dazed expression on her face. When she opened her mouth to speak, it was with a soft, dreamy voice, "He fancies me Lily."

"Well, of course he does. I could have told you that," replied her friend exasperatedly.

"Yeah, but I mean really fancies me. He just turned down a quick shag with his former."

"How romantic," she responded skeptically. "Now who's the little schoolgirl with a crush?" Isadora gave her a look that could melt ice. "All right, all right. I must admit I wouldn't have expected him to turn down an offer like that. I won't use the word love, but I daresay he is tremendously smitten with you. Throw the poor boy a bone, Isadora. You've been dangling him on a string long enough."

Isadora smiled gratefully at Lily. "I suppose. Come on. Let's go to lunch."

The girls exited the classroom and made their way down to the Great Hall. As they took the steps down to the entrance hall, they saw a crowd of students milling about, chatting, gossiping, and passing the time until the Great Hall opened. Lily and Isadora made their way over to Alice and Erica. Isadora, however, changed her mind when she saw the four Marauders a few yards away, laughing and messing around. "You go on ahead, Lily. I'll catch you up later."

Without waiting for a response, she changed course and headed straight for Sirius. Lily was confused for a second, but smiled when she saw the direction her friend was headed.

If Isadora had been thinking clearly, she probably wouldn't have done what she did. Afterwards, she was a bit embarrassed at her boldness. She just sort of acted on the first thought that entered her mind. Isadora walked right up to Sirius, completely bypassing the other Marauders, grabbed him and just kissed him, right there in front of everybody. More than a few students turned around to look, especially considering James had started clapping and wolf whistling.

As for Sirius, he was in such a state of shock that at first, he just stood there. After he realized what was happening though, he pulled her closer to him and responded fervently.

After a short while, Sirius pulled back and asked her, "What was that for?"

Isadora smiled shyly, "Aren't I allowed to snog my boyfriend if I want to?"

Sirius's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered, "Of course. Far be it for me to stop you." He smiled down at her, kissed her once more, and took her hand in his. "Let's get out of here. This calls for a nice, quiet lunch in Hogsmeade." With that, they left the entrance hall, completely oblivious to the stares and whispers they left in their wake.

As they walked away, Remus looked over to his friend James and held out his hand, "Well, Prongs. I'd say that qualifies as 'officially dating,' wouldn't you?" James grumbled and reached into his pocket before dropping a few coins into the hand of the smug werewolf.

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	18. Mysteries

**Hello Ducks,**

**I know it's been a very long time and I am very sorry but I am back now. I even have my masters degree which should hopefully make me a better writer, tee hee. Sorry for the long hiatus, but writing your masters thesis is killer. Thank merlin I'm done. Welcome back to my story and enjoy!!**

**-Kassie**

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Chapter 18: Mysteries

The common room was dark and the air was thick. Only about six or seven lamps were on making it look something like a fairy village. It was nearly empty except for a smattering of fifth and seventh year students. The tension in the air was palpable as a result of the upcoming exams. It was mostly silent except for one table in front of the fireplace. Seated at this table were Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, who were playing a game of wizard's chess alongside Isadora Angelline, who was concentrating hard on a particularly difficult text laid out in front of her. Also present was James Potter, whose intense gaze was focused on a piece of parchment that he was writing on.

"Remus, what does Wartcap Powder do again?"

"It causes the skin of the person who touches it to form a thick, hard crust."

"Uggh, I'm never going to pass this O.W.L."

"I don't understand why you're so worried, Izzy," said Sirius. "You only have six of them to take."

"Yeah," said James. "We had to take nine last year. You've already passed quite a few."

"Granted, I did get some of the more difficult ones out of the way already. It doesn't make one bit of difference though. I'm taking N.E.W.T. level courses on top of my O.W.L.S. and I'm still dreadful when it comes to Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"Nonsense," said Remus. "I've seen you throw some spectacular stunning spells. You just need to work a bit harder on dark objects and how to fight their effects."

"You'll be fine Izzy," contributed Sirius lazily as he sat pondering his next move. "You're the perfect little straight O student. You'll get excellent marks on all your exams and before you know it you'll be out of this place and on your way to becoming one of the most powerful politicians the Ministry has ever seen."

"You want to be a politician?" asked Remus incredulously.

"No. I never said that. Why would you think that, Sirius?"

The older boy shrugged, "I dunno. I guess just assumed. You're always donating money to charities and talking to Ministry officials. Damn." Remus had just taken his knight.

Isadora chewed thoughtfully on the end of her quill. "My parents always donated money. We always had more than we knew what to do with. Why not do something useful? I actually believe in philanthropy but it doesn't mean I want to make a career out of it."

Suddenly James jumped up from his seat and shouted, "There!" His friends looked at him quizzically as they had forgotten he was there. The non-sequitur had startled them. "Finished," he said and handed the sheaf of parchment that he was writing on to Isadora.

"What is this?"

"A love letter," he responded proudly.

Isadora quickly handed it back to him with a smirk. "I'm not writing your love letters to Lily for you, James."

"I already wrote it. Just look it over, tell me if anything is really bad or if I should change something."

Isadora rolled her eyes but turned the parchment towards her. As her eyes scanned the document, James watched her. He grew more and more fidgety with each passing second. The other two boys simply returned to their game of chess. They appeared focused on it but in truth, they were listening intently to what Isadora's response would be just in case it revealed something that they would inevitably tease their friend about later.

After a few minutes, Isadora finally looked up and handed the piece of parchment back to an expectant James Potter. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's actually pretty good."

James beamed. "Really? You think she'll like it?"

"I really think so."

Just then, Sirius tried to grab the love note out of his friend's hand but James was quicker due to years of Quidditch practice. "Oh, come on Prongs," said his friend. "Moony ad I just want to see what you've been up to for the last hour."

James just glared at his friends but didn't say anything. He knew perfectly well that if Sirius read the letter, he would never let him live it down. Instead, he gathered his things together and bade everyone a good night. With that, he went upstairs to go to bed, walking with a dreamy look on his face the whole time.

Sirius shook his head. "I just don't get it. He's captain of the Quidditch team for Merlin's sake. He could have any girl in school and he decides he wants the one girl who doesn't want him.

"Gee, Padfoot. Why does that sound familiar?" piped in Remus.

"I'll have you know that while I am quite happy settled down with my Pixie, that I took the time to get to know a variety of other girls first." Isadora glared, but said nothing. "Prongs has only had one or two girlfriends. How could he possibly know that Lily is the one for him if he hasn't gotten to know any others first?"

"You can be such a pig sometimes, Sirius," retorted his girlfriend. "Not everyone feels the need to shag every girl they meet until they happen to find one that they like more than the others." Sirius grinned at his Izzy, but wisely chose not to say anything else.

"Well," said Remus. "Much as I'd love to be present for this argument, good night." And with that, Remus collected his chess set and left the two lovers to sort out their disagreement.

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The next morning, Isadora and Lily were sitting together at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. In front of them was a delicious spread of pancakes, eggs, sausages, bacon, and juice. Their plates were piled high with the hearty breakfast. Around them, the tables were relatively empty. Many students were sleeping in these days due to long nights of studying in their common rooms.

The girls were intently focused on sustenance when owls started pouring into the Great Hall with the morning mail. Each girl had one stop at her place. Isadora took a newspaper from the beak of a tawny owl and deposited a coin in the pouch around its ankle. She unfolded the _Daily Prophet_ and began to read. After a couple of minutes, she frowned and glanced up at her friend, Lily, to ask her something. She paused however, when she saw the look on the older girl's face. It was bright red and her smile was uncontrollable. "What's wrong, Lils?"

"Nothing," she said quickly and began rolling up the parchment that she was holding.

Isadora looked at her friend skeptically. "All right, spill. What have you got there? You have that look on your face, the same one you get when a professor gives you good marks."

Lily shook her head from side to side, "Nope, nothing in particular. I have no idea what you're talking about."

The other girl narrowed her eyes, "You do know you're a dreadful liar, right?"

Lily huffed but did not argue. "Fine. If you must know, someone sent me a very sweet letter."

A light went off in Isadora's brain. Of course, the letter that James had written her. She had almost forgot about it entirely. "And what does this sweet letter say?"

"That's private."

"Well then, who's it from?"

Lily paused before continuing. "It doesn't actually say."

"Ah, your secret admirer again. Any thoughts on who our mystery boy might be?"

Before Lily could answer however, the Marauders approached the table and she quickly stuffed the parchment into her bag. The boys found seats next to the girls, James Potter making it a point to sit next to the object of his affection. He looked at Lily expectantly for a second, as if trying to discern if she had read his letter and whether or not she liked it. He couldn't very well ask her though and so he settled for wishing her a good morning. She responded in kind but much to his disappointment, she got up to leave the table on the pretense of having to take care of some prefect duties. After saying goodbye to her friends, she walked out of the great hall lazily and with a dreamy look on her face.

James immediately turned to Isadora, bombarding her with questions, "Did she get the letter? Did she read it? How did she react?"

Isadora giggled a little at his enthusiasm, "Um, let me see…Yes, yes, and favourably."

"She liked it then?"

"We didn't really get to talk about it but I'd say yes, she was definitely impressed by it."

A dreamy smile came of James face and he promptly tuned out to what the others at the table were saying. He ate his breakfast absentmindedly, lost in his own little world, filled with dreams of Lily Evans.

Sirius rolled his eyes at his friend, "Disgusting. Please avada kedavra me if I ever look like that over a girl, Moony."

"Yes, please," said Isadora from her seat next to Sirius. "Especially if it's over a girl that isn't me."

"I don't know why you're throwing stones anyways, Padfoot," said Remus knowingly. "I definitely caught that look on your face more than once since you've met your lovely girlfriend here."

Isadora giggled again at the thought of her boyfriend allowing himself to look anything but ultra cool. Sirius glowered at his friend and muttered, "bollocks." It wasn't all that convincing though and Sirius instead turned his intention to his growling stomach and began piling food onto his plate quite liberally.

Remus decided to drop the topic and instead turned his attention to Isadora. "Are you done with the paper?" he asked her, gesturing to the _Prophet _on the table in front of her. She looked down at it and immediately remembered what she had been about to ask Lily earlier.

"Right," she said as she flipped to a certain page before handing it to Remus. "Maybe you can help me. What do you make of that?" she said, pointing to a specific article.

He took the paper she offered him and spent a couple of minutes reading the article she had pointed out. When he finished, he set down the paper and frowned, "That's strange."

"I thought so too. Wouldn't you think that something like that would be on the front page? A wizard and two muggles killed. That's pretty big news to me."

Sirius's attention was now piqued and he took the paper from his friend to read the article for himself. He skimmed over it while listening to the conversation.

"Me too," Remus had responded to Isadora. "I wonder why they'd bury it in the middle of the paper."

"You think it has something to do with that symbol in the sky that they mentioned?" she continued.

"I'd say that's a definite possibility."

"What did they say it looked like again?" she asked Sirius who was still holding the paper.

"_A glowing green skull with a snake coming out of its mouth_," quoted Sirius. When he finished, he handed the paper over to James who had snapped out of his dreamy daze to listen to what his friends were talking about. "I'd say there's definitely something fishy about this," he continued. "I'm of the opinion that if the _Prophet_ or the Ministry tells you not to worry about something, you should probably worry about it."

"Not the most optimistic philosophy but in this case, I'd have to agree with you," responded Remus. "They don't even give the name of the wizard who died."

"They did say they were withholding the name because they were still trying to contact the man's family," responded Isadora pragmatically.

"And everyone who believes that, please raise your wand," said Sirius sarcastically. "We're not talking about inefficient muggles here. How hard could it be for the Ministry to track down a wizard family?"

"Fair enough," conceded his girlfriend.

James looked up at them, having finished the article. "That just creeps me out. There's definitely something wrong here."

The four teenagers looked at each other ominously but couldn't think of anything else to say. People had started to shuffle out of the Great Hall for morning classes so they simply got up and joined the crowd, happy to leave their unhappy thoughts at the breakfast table.

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	19. Mistakes

**Hello Loves,**

**Starting to get back in the swing of it. I'm actually really happy with this chapter. It's super long too so I hope it satisfies. Please enjoy.**

**-Kassie**

**P.S. Thank you to GoodGirlzDead for reviewing and to anyone else who decides to review Chapter 18.**

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**Chapter 19: Mistakes**

To say that Isadora was stressed was a gross understatement. She was an anxiety ridden, traumatized mess. Of course, she never broke down publicly. It was more of an internal seething that was slowly making her lose her grip on reality. She was up all hours studying and Sirius was very little help in that department. Oh, he would quiz her every now and then but his calm and relaxed demeanor did nothing but vex her. And so, she spent long hours in the library with Remus or Lily occasionally joining her. This wasn't doing wonderful things for her relationship with her boyfriend, which was still brand new but unfortunately for Sirius, he would just have to settle for being on the backburner until exams were over.

One particular afternoon, Isadora found herself in the library with Remus, who didn't look much better than she. It wasn't studying that was paining him though. That night happened to be the first night before the full moon. He bravely worked through it though, and tried not to let it interfere with his daily life. He looked across the table at Isadora, who had a series of runes randomly laid out in front of her. She was busily interpreting them and he was pleased to see that she did it with a smile on her face. It was such a rare occasion these days. Isadora felt his gaze on her and looked up at him quizzically.

He shrugged, "It's just nice to see you smiling for a change."

"I happen to like ancient runes. It's one of those subjects that's come easily to me this year."

"You didn't like it at Beauxbatons?"

"Not that I didn't like it. They just didn't cover as much in the class there. My Hogwarts class is much more in depth. I guess they just didn't place as much importance on it. Probably cause they only have one set of exams, certain subjects are highlighted more than others."

"Ahh. Hence the reason you are quite adept at the biggies like transfiguration."

"Exactly."

"What's the exam though? Is it just N.E.W.T.S.?"

Isadora shook her head, "Not precisely. It _is_ a cumulative exam but it covers everything, advanced and beginner stuff. Also, Beauxbatons is only six years so we cover more material in a shorter time."

"Well then, you should have a leg up on Hogwarts exams. Why have you been killing yourself these past few weeks?"

Isadora wrinkled her nose, "I don't know. It's just…different here. I took five O.W.L.S. at the end of last year and they weren't too hard. I guess it's just that compared to Hogwarts standards I'm far ahead in certain areas and not so much in others. And those not so much areas happen to be the ones in which I'm taking all my O.W.L.S. this year."

"Don't worry," he responded with a warm smile. "I'm sure you'll be just fine. You're a hard-worker."

"Thanks," she said. "It's nice to hear that from someone who doesn't sound completely blasé about the whole thing."

Remus chuckled, "Trouble in paradise?"

"Nah," she said with a smile. "I know he cares about me. He shows it in other ways. The thing with Sirius is that he just doesn't understand what it means to push yourself or to struggle academically."

"That he most certainly does not."

They both laughed a little but Isadora noticed that Remus seemed to wince in pain. She looked at him concernedly, "Are you all right?"

"Oh, just that time of month," he responded wryly.

Isadora was not amused. "Have you been to Madam Pomfrey yet, today?"

"I was trying to hold off until it starts to get dark. I do hate that dreadful potion." Isadora gave him a look that a den mother would give her misbehaving pups and he sighed. "Very well, then," he said as he collected his things. "I suppose I should go now. It's already 5 o'clock."

She wished him luck but before he could walk away she uttered a very unladylike exclamation. He turned around and she looked at him sheepishly. "I told Sirius I'd meet him now. He's probably looking for me. If you see him outside, can you tell him I'll be a couple minutes? I just need to finish this translation." Remus nodded at her and she gave him a grateful look before he turned around to leave. And so, she rushed her way through her rune translation so as not to keep her boyfriend waiting for too long.

After five hurried minutes, she felt satisfied with her work and hurried to gather her things. Isadora did like Sirius very much and she felt bad that she couldn't spend the time with him that she would have liked to, but school is school. She just hoped that their relationship wouldn't peter out before it even began. These were her thoughts as she left the library and looked around for him. She didn't see him but thought she heard his bark-like laugh around the corner and sure enough, when she peeked around, there he was with his back to her, talking to someone quietly.

Isadora's first thought was thought was that he was flirting with a girl. She steeled herself before walking over to the couple and was completely taken aback by what she saw. Sirius Black was talking to none other than Severus Snape. As her jaw dropped, she let out a small squeak. Snape saw her and without a word, turned around and stalked off. Sirius chuckled and turned around. Upon seeing his girlfriend, he smiled and sauntered over to her. Completely ignoring the girl's shocked expression, he let out a gentle, "Hello there, pet." He held her for a second and gave her a soft kiss.

"What was that?" she responded.

"A kiss. I can do it again." He moved in closer but she pushed him away.

"I know what a kiss is. What I meant was, what the hell were you doing talking to Snape?"

"Oh, that? He was just sticking that big old nose of his where it doesn't belong. I set him straight though." He tried to move in closer to her again but she wouldn't let him. Instead, she gave him a suspicious look.

"What do you mean?"

"Just a little prank. Nothing to worry about." Sirius gave up trying to touch her and stuck his hands in his pockets, ready for what came next.

"Sirius, why can't you just leave him be? Is it entirely necessary for you to harass him every chance that you get?"

Sirius' calm demeanor dropped a little and exasperation tinged his voice, "Look, Izzy, I'm a big boy. I don't need a lecture. Can we drop this now?" He took a second to regain his composure and wrapped his arms around her again, his grey eyes staring down into her violet ones. When he continued speaking, his voice was more relaxed again, "We never see each other anymore. We have one hour before dinner and I really don't want to spend it talking about stupid Snivelly." He kissed her again, more insistently this time and after a bit of coaxing, Isadora responded in kind. She wanted to say more but chose not to. It felt so good kissing him and she didn't get to do it nearly as much as she ought to.

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After dinner, Isadora was back to studying but this time she was in the common room. Lily was studying as well in a big comfy armchair. She was going over her notes but would glance up occasionally at the lovebirds sitting across from her and roll her eyes at them. Isadora was on the couch, with her back up against Sirius and his arm around her shoulders. Her book was in her lap and she was trying to concentrate but he was simply no help, continually whispering sweet nothings in her ear. And he wondered why she always retreated to the library, a place she knew he would not follow.

Tonight though, she did not mind so much. She had forgotten how nice it was to spend time with him and she wasn't in any hurry to end the experience. Their conversation meandered and they talked about nothing in particular until Isadora suddenly remembered what Sirius had said earlier. She was reluctant to broach the topic again but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. She had a bad feeling about the scene she had witnessed outside the library and wanted to get to the bottom of it. When she spoke to him though, she did try to be delicate and tactful with her words, "Sirius?"

"Mhmm," he murmured.

"Now, I don't want to lecture you…I'm just asking…" Sirius groaned but Isadora plowed forward, trying her best to keep her voice soft and free of accusation, "What happened with Snape before? I just want to know what prank you pulled on him."

"Ugh, that old hat again. Must we rehash?" Isadora turned her face towards his and he could see that she wasn't angry but that she was in fact serious about it. "You really want to know what it was about?"

"Yes, please," she said softly.

"Fine," he sighed. Sirius then wrapped his arms around her tiny waist and pulled her onto his lap to settle with his face next to hers. Part of it was indeed a ploy to bring her closer to him but he also wanted to be able to lower the volume of his voice. He definitely didn't want the snoops of Hogwarts listening in on this particular conversation. Isadora could feel his warm breath on her neck as he spoke, "Well, I was out in the corridor when I ran into Moony and he gave me your message."

"Yes," she prompted.

Sirius spoke slowly, as if he didn't really want to tell her but had already resigned himself to it. "After he gave it to me, he said he had to go to Madam Pomfrey's." He paused as he stared down at her arms on which his fingers were tracing lazy circles. "When he left, Snape came up to me and said some things."

"What kinds of things?" she murmured worriedly.

"Things about Remus. About how he's sick all the time and _how curious it is_," he said, mimicking Snape's drawl. His voice hardened a little. "I didn't like it. He was sniffing around way too close to Moony's problem and he needed to be taught a lesson."

Isadora grimaced a little at this but remained calm. She didn't like Sirius' tendency to lash out at people by pranking them but she knew this came from place of love. He cared about his friend and he didn't want to see him hurt. "What did you do?" she asked timidly.

"Well," he started out mischievously. "I might have hinted that if he wanted to find out, he could investigate certain characteristics of the Whomping Willow." He was about to chuckle but instantly sobered up when he felt her stiffen against him.

Isadora pushed herself off his lap and turned to look him in the face. "Tell me you're joking," she whispered urgently.

He started to say something smart but stopped when he looked into her eyes. He expected to see anger in them but was surprised to see panic. "Relax, Izzy—"

"I will not relax. I don't care if you like him or not, he could seriously get hurt."

"He'll be fine. Snivelly can take care of himself."

"Sirius, we are not talking about some house pet," she hissed at him. "We are talking about a were—"

Sirius cut her off loudly, "I know what he is, Izzy!" He looked around nervously. His arguments with Isadora were always a source of amusement to the gossip mongers and he really hoped none of them heard more than the last comment. By this point, even Lily had looked up from her textbook to stare at them.

"Sirius, look at me!" said Isadora far louder and more urgently. His eyes locked with hers and she knew that he had no idea what he had done. "Sirius, don't you even…" she trailed off softly then stopped. She had to do something.

She ran. She jumped up off the couch and just ran, straight up the boys stairwell, not even caring what her fellow Gryffindors thought. She almost ran straight past the door labeled 'Marauders' and had to stop short. She burst through the door without even knocking and threw on the light switch. James was the only one in the room and had clearly been sleeping for he was mumbling for her to turn off the lights. Isadora ran over to his bed and yelled his name, frantically trying to shake him awake.

James opened his eyes a fraction, saw who it was and rolled over mumbling, "Isadora? Sirius isn't here, he…"

"No!" she yelled, shaking him frantically. "James. James!" He wouldn't wake though and she did the only thing she could think to do under the circumstances. Isadora grabbed the glass of water on his night table and threw it his face yelling, "Potter!"

James bolted straight up. "What the feck?!" he sputtered. It took him a fraction of a second to get his bearings and then he blushed crimson when he realized who was standing over him. He was acutely aware that he was clad only in pajama pants. "Isadora? What the hell?!"

"Sorry, no choice," she panted.

"Isadora, this is my room—"

"Not important," she interrupted him. "Sirius…he…fils de pute…he …" she stuttered, trying to find the words.

"Isadora. Calm down. What did Sirius do this time?" he said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "And in English, please."

"He was talking to Snape. He asked about Moony. Snape, I mean, asked about—about Moony. Why he was sick." James face grew more and more concerned as she went on. "Sirius told him—told him if he wanted to know…that he should go…"

"Go where?" yelled James, seriously worried now.

"To the Whomping Willow!" she finally got out.

"Shit!" he yelled, as he jumped out of bed, any trace of sleepiness now gone. He grabbed a random shirt off the floor and began to pull it over his head, slipping on a pair of shoes as he did so.

"James," pleaded Isadora. "He didn't know what…what he was doing…he just…"

James could see that Isadora was panicking so he grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a rough shake. She froze and looked at him. "Yes, Isadora, I know, I know what Sirius is like. But we can't worry about that now. The only way we can help him is to make sure that nothing happens to Snape and I need you calm for that." She nodded mutely in understanding and he let go of her. "I'm going to go down to try and head off Snape and you need to go to Dumbledore right now."

"Dumbledore?" she whispered.

"Yes," he said firmly. "This isn't some prank anymore, it went too far. This is serious and we need Dumbledore's help."

"Okay," she said, sounding more sure of herself.

"Good," he said and dashed out of the room with Isadora right on his tail.

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To Sirius's great surprise Isadora had jumped up and ran, not even bothering to explain her actions. The students in the common room who were paying attention to the scene were shocked and scandalized when she ran up to the boys dormitories. Sirius realized where she was going and muttered, "Crap." The wheels in his head began to turn frantically.

"Black?" said Lily from across the table, her voice filled with accusation. "What did you say to Isadora this time?"

"Nothing—I…" he stammered before he got his bearings. "None of your business, Evans," he said unkindly as he stood up. Lily was going to say more but she shut her mouth when she saw the look on Sirius' face. He started to walk towards the stairwell but stopped, as if unsure if he should go forward or turn around. He was extremely aware of the fact that most of the common room was staring at him and whispering. He finally made up his mind though and headed towards the staircase. Too late though, for James ran straight into him at the base of the stairs. "Prongs?" he said, but James cut him off.

"Not now, Padfoot, we need to hurry." James quickly righted himself and ran towards the portrait and into the corridor.

Isadora, being slower, was a few seconds behind him. She came barreling into the common room but Sirius was quicker this time. He grabbed her wrist and spun her around to face him. "I can't believe you told him," he hissed.

"Sirius, I had no choice. If something happens to him—"

"Just forget it, Izzy. Just stay out of my business," he yelled angrily as he ran after James, leaving Isadora standing in the middle of the common room. She put her face in her hands and made a fretful noise.

From beside her she heard someone ask if she was okay. She turned and saw Lily standing next to her. "I'm sorry, Lily, I can't…I just can't right now." And with that, she too ran out of the common room.

Isadora kept running, not even stopping to catch her breath, taking the path that she had come to know so well that year. She was almost there and then she ran smack dab into Filch. She came up short to avoid bowling him over.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" he said satisfyingly. "A misbehaving student out and about when she shouldn't be?"

"Yes," said Isadora. "Yes, it is quite wrong of me. Now take me up to Dumbledore's office, straightaway. I must be disciplined."

"Yes, yes, agreed. But I am fully capable of meeting out the appropriate punishme—"

Filch was cut off as Isadora pushed her way past him and ran towards Dumbledore's office. When she reached the stone gargoyle, she started to frantically yell out names of candies. She could hear Filch coming after her. Finally, after six tries, she got it right with Jelly Slugs. She ran up the moving steps and burst into Dumbledore's office.

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall were in there and were quite startled by her appearance. "Miss Angelline," began McGonagall from her place next to the desk. "You should not be out and about—"

"Please!" she interrupted. "Please, Uncle Albus," she said, resorting to the name she used to call him when she was little. "I need to speak with you right away."

Suddenly, Filch burst in shouting, "Headmaster! Headmaster! I need to speak with you immediately! This student—"

"Yes, Argus," interrupted Dumbledore smoothly. "I am quite aware of the situation." He turned to Isadora, "Please, continue."

Isadora tried to calm down because she had worked herself up again. "Well, it's Remus you see, Remus Lupin. I mean, I know about him and his…condition," she said nervously looking at Filch behind her.

"I assure you Isadora, that everyone in this room knows of Remus Lupin's condition."

"Right," she said, absentmindedly clutching at a stitch in her side. "Well there was a problem, between Snape and Sirius. Snape said some things to him and then Sirius, well, I know he didn't mean it, Albus, he doesn't realize what he did—"

"What did he do, Isadora?" said Dumbledore calmly but importantly.

"He told Snape about the knot on the Whomping Willow."

Dumbledore's reaction was immediate. He came out from behind his desk and strode quickly, "Minerva, take Isadora to her dormitory." He stopped in front of Isadora for a second and continued speaking, "Isadora, you will stay there all night and you are not to say a word to anyone about this."

"Yes, Albus," she nodded. "I understand. But I think you should also know that James Potter went down there to try and head Snape off and I think that Sirius followed." He nodded in understanding and swept quickly from the room.

McGonagall came up behind her and gently ushered her out of the office, leaving Filch standing there confused as to why he didn't get to punish the disobedient child.

The Professor brought Isadora all the way up to the tower and stopped at the portrait. "Now, Miss Angelline, I do hope you understand the severity of the situation."

"Yes," she responded quickly but softly. "I understand. I won't say anything, I promise. I don't want anything else bad to happen to them."

"Good," said McGonagall satisfied. She gave Isadora a slight push through the portrait hole as the girl's movements had become quite sluggish. She waited for the portrait to swing shut before leaving to go and help Dumbledore.

Isadora did as she said she would and went straight to her dormitory. She was sure that every eye in the common room must have been on her but she didn't care. She just walked straight through, with her head held down forlornly. When she reached her room, she climbed into her bed and yanked the curtains shut in an attempt to drown out the world around her.

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For once, Isadora was completely unconcerned with her exams. She had seen neither Sirius nor Remus for two days and her mind was completely focused on her worries about her friend and her boyfriend. There were so many things that she wanted to say to Sirius ranging from 'You're such a prat' to 'I'm so sorry.' She was sure that he must have gotten into serious trouble for what he had done but she also knew that he just didn't understand the enormity of his actions. She was simply sick over it and worst of all, had no idea what had transpired that night after she told Dumbledore what had happened.

She certainly wasn't going to ask Snape about it. He looked fine. He had returned to class the day before and wasn't obviously hurt or limping or anything so maybe it wasn't that bad? Isadora had tried asking Peter where his friends were but the boy was hopeless and clueless. James was around but _if _he went to the Great Hall for meals, he never stuck around for long and he was just quiet and sullen. Isadora had managed to corner him in the corridor once but when questioned, he simply shrugged his shoulders limply and said that she should wait to talk to Sirius. She came very close to asking Dumbledore what had happened but dismissed the idea. She didn't much care to explain to him about her relationship with Sirius and didn't think that he'd give her much information otherwise.

Others in school had noted half the Marauders' absence and the moodiness of James Potter. That, coupled with the scene between Isadora Angelline, Sirius Black, and James had sent the rumor mill into overdrive. Thankfully for Remus Lupin, none of them came too close to the truth of the matter. And even if they did, there was no one to confirm it. Everyone involved in the incident was fiercely tight-lipped about it.

Isadora couldn't count the number of times she had been asked about her boyfriend's whereabouts. She had become sullen herself and snapped at people constantly until they finally realized that she perhaps, was not the person to ask about the boys. (A development which delighted Peter Pettigrew, who as a result, was bombarded with requests for information on the incident.)

Isadora became even moodier than James and didn't like it one bit. During herbology that afternoon, a girl had tapped her on the shoulder and Isadora just snapped and screamed at her that it was none of her business. Turned out the poor girl had just wanted to ask if she could borrow some dragon dung. Isadora not only felt terrible but lost ten points for Gryffindor as well. She had tried to make amends by finding the girl in her dorm later on. She was a fifth year named Morgan. When Isadora found her she apologized, but the girl said nothing and just nodded an acknowledgement, clearly afraid of the tiny spitfire. Isadora gave up and returned to her room where she remained throughout dinner. She wasn't very hungry anyways.

After two straight hours of a very intense staring contest with the drapery over her bed, Isadora heard a soft knock on her door. One of her roommates opened it to admit a worried looking redhead. Lily walked over to Isadora's bed and sat down on it. Isadora glanced over at her. "Lily, I'm sorry. I really don't feel up to talking right now," she said without a hint of emotion.

"Well, too bad," said Lily stubbornly. "Isadora, this is crazy. I mean, the boys have done some stupid pranks before but they really must have gone over the top with this one. I can't believe some of the things I have heard the past few days. Tell me no one died?"

"No, of course not," said Isadora blandly.

"Well then, what happened? I don't need all the nitty gritty details but can you at least tell me something? I've been worried sick about you and Remus and—ugh, I can't believe I'm saying this—but about Potter and Black, too."

"Look, Lily…I just can't." Her friend looked hurt and Isadora glance over at her roommates. They were busy doing other things but it was quite obvious that they were only pretending and were listening intently to try and glean some information about what had happened.

Isadora conceded, "Fine, come here." She grabbed Lily's hand and brought her into the bathroom, closing the door and placing a muffling spell on it. The two girls sat on the floor and Isadora tried to think of something she could tell Lily that would be reassuring. She could come up with nothing though as she really didn't feel all that reassured herself. "Lily, I'm sorry. There's just nothing I can tell you. Please understand, I just can't."

Lily's eyes narrowed. "I don't get it. Look, I know we're not exactly best friends, Isadora, but don't you know that I won't say anything? Don't you trust me? Please, I just want to know that our friends are okay!"

"Lils, please," begged Isadora. She was descending into a panic again, for the third time in as many days. "I'm sorry. This has nothing to do with you or me, or how I feel about you or Sirius or any of them. Alb—Dumbledore made me promise not to say anything and I just can't."

Isadora looked on the verge of tears and Lily's expression softened. She was silent for a minute before she spoke. "If Dumbledore told you not to say anything…It must be pretty bad, huh?" Isadora nodded mutely. "They're not hurt or anything, are they?" She shook her head no, then stopped and looked unsure of herself. Lily continued to ask questions. "Are any of them going to get expelled?" Isadora took a second and then shrugged. "Oh, dear. This is very bad. Well, do you know when the other two are coming back?"

Isadora shook her head no again and for some reason, that was it for her. She collapsed into a heap on the floor and started crying uncontrollably. Lily was shocked for a second and then put her arms around Isadora, patting her on the back awkwardly. "It's okay, Isadora. I'm sure they'll all be just fine. Don't worry."

They sat like that for quite some time, with Isadora spilling tears upon tears. She cried for her friends, for Remus, for James, for Lily, even for Snape. She cried because she couldn't remember the last time that she wasn't stressed or worried. She cried because she missed Sirius terribly. But most of all, she cried because she had never felt so clueless, helpless, and alone."

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**PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	20. Consequences

**Hello Loves,**

**Enjoy, please don't hate me. I like the angst. If it makes you feel any better, I had a lot of trouble writing this.**

**-Kassie**

**P.S. Thank you to BEEcausexoxo, Lets play x D e a d, GoodGirlzDead, Sirius-Baby, and silverstagbeauty for their reviews.**

**And a special thanks to Hermione09Weasley for reviewing and for putting up with my ridiculously long e-mails.**

**Love to you all**

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**Chapter 20: Consequences**

Two days later, Sirius and Remus were back in classes but this didn't do anything to relieve Isadora's fears. They were both quiet and moody and refused to speak to anyone, including Isadora. Try as she might, she couldn't get either of the boys to talk to her. They avoided the Great Hall, probably choosing to pilfer food from the kitchens instead and when in class, they were entirely focused on their studies. Even in potions, when he was working on projects with Isadora, Sirius refused to speak about anything that didn't have to do with what they were working on.

She was getting fed up but there wasn't much she could do about it. She tried asking Lily for advice but it was difficult since she couldn't tell her exactly what had gone on between them.

"Isadora, how can I tell you how to get him to talk to you if I don't know why he stopped talking to you in the first place?"

They were sitting in the common room, a table to themselves. Isadora struggled with how much she could tell her friend without betraying Dumbledore's confidence. "Well, I suppose it's not too much to tell you that Sirius pulled a prank and not a good one. It was actually pretty dangerous."

"Does this prank have something to do with Snape?" Lily asked. Her curiosity was peaked. She was, after all a sixteen-year-old girl and all teenagers, level headed or not, have a desire for knowledge.

"I can't tell you that. All I can tell you is that he went too far. When he told me about it, he thought it was a joke, but I knew I had to do something about it."

"So you went to Dumbledore?"

Isadora shook her head. "I told James."

"Right, of course," said Lily, the events of that night in the common room starting to come together somewhat. "You went up to the boys dormitory. Then the two of you went to fix whatever stitch Sirius got himself into."

Isadora nodded. "The only problem is, now Sirius is pissed at me for telling James and won't speak to me. And I won't apologize for what I did. Someone could have seriously gotten hurt, I had no choice but to do something. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if something bad had happened and I didn't do anything about it."

Lily nodded. "Well, it seems like you need to get Sirius alone to talk to him."

"But how? None of the other boys would help me, not that I really want to talk to them about it anyways, and he spends all his time holed up in his room."

"Not all his time," said Lily slyly. "He's in detention all the time with McGonagall."

"What am I supposed to do, get myself in detention? There's no guarantee it'd be with McGonagall and besides, I can't afford to start up with her in class. She'd just go to Dumbledore and then the whole thing would turn into a right mess."

"Why would she go to Dumbledore? Why wouldn't she just give you detention and have done with it?"

Isadora was speechless for a second. She desperately tried to come up with a satisfactory explanation. "Well, after everything that happened you know…she would know something's up. She wouldn't just put me in detention with Sirius," she finished lamely.

Lily looked not at all pleased. "Look Isadora, I understand you not telling me about what happened with the boys but this is ridiculous. You're always so secretive and evasive. I just don't get you. How are we supposed to be friends if you're always hiding things from me?!" Lily stood up angrily and was clearly tired of being jerked around.

Isadora looked around nervously as some other people in the common room turned to stare. Lily was about to turn and walk off but she grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back down. "All right, all right, I'll tell you. I suppose it's no big deal."

Lily looked at her and impatiently tapped her foot. "Well?" she said crossly.

"Well, Dumbledore's actually my uncle. Well, not actually my uncle, more like my second cousin once remov—whatever. Not important. It wasn't chance that I ended up in Hogwarts. I _was_ in Beauxbatons. I grew up in France. My parents died when I was younger and Dumbledore became my legal guardian. We hadn't talked much by then though and I wanted to stay in France so he let me. I don't know why, but he changed his mind last year. He wanted me to transfer to Hogwarts, something about keeping an eye on me, I don't know exactly. But there. That's why I go to his office so much, why the professors pay so much attention to what I do. I didn't want anyone to know because…well, I don't know. Something about being related to the headmaster, I don't think other's would take too kindly to that."

Lily was flabbergasted. Whatever she expected Isadora to say, it wasn't that. "Well, um, thanks for telling me, trusting me I guess…I'm sorry about your parents."

"Don't be, it was a long time ago," she responded abruptly.

"How did it happen?" Lily asked, concern etched in her voice.

"It was an accident. Look, I don't mean to be rude, but I don't really want to talk about it, Lily."

"No, that's alright, I understand." Lily hesitated, unsure of what to say. "So, Dumbledore's your uncle, huh? Must be strange, being in the same school with him after spending all that time on your own."

"You have no idea," she responded sarcastically. "I spent years taking care of myself and now he wants to have a relationship with me."

"Know why?"

Isadora shrugged, "None." That wasn't a complete lie. She had some ideas as to why she was brought back to England, but she knew nothing concrete. Isadora shook her head as if to clear the moths from it, "It doesn't matter. I don't really care." Which was the truth. Since the incident with Sirius and the boys, Isadora had found herself caring less and less about anything else going on in her life. Dumbledore, her O.W.L.S., it didn't seem all that important anymore. In a way, it was a good thing because it relieved some of the pressure that her tests had been putting on her. On the other hand though, she spent all of her time worrying about Sirius and whether or not he would be okay. Clearly, he wasn't expelled but that didn't mean that he was fine.

As if fate had heard her thoughts, Sirius appeared. He was walking into the common room, his school bag slung haphazardly over his shoulder. His face was cold and uninviting as it so often was these days. He walked through the common room without so much as a glance at the two girls sitting at their table and made his way to the portrait. Isadora quickly gathered her things and stood up to leave, giving her apologies to Lily.

"We have potions in a minute," offered Lily.

"I know, that's probably where he's headed. I'm going to try and catch him before class."

Lily wished her luck and the younger girl was off. She did indeed catch up with Sirius a few corridors before he could reach the dungeon. She called his name but he either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her.

She approached him a few paces later and grabbed his arm, "Sirius!" He turned to her but remained silent. She tried to read his face but he gave away nothing. His eyes were as cold and unfeeling as she had ever seen them. "Sirius, speak to me," she said quietly.

He sighed, "What do you want me to say?"

"Oh, I don't know," she said sarcastically. "Something maybe about what happened to you, where you've been for the past few days, whether or not Moony is okay, why you haven't been speaking to me. And that's just a start."

"Look, I really don't think we need to get into it."

"You don't think we need to get into it?" she repeated dumbly. "Sirius, you owe me more than that. I'm your girlfriend. I'm just worried about you—"

"Yeah, about that," he interrupted. "I don't think it's going to work."

She stared at him dumbfounded. "What?"

"I don't think this is going to work," he repeated. It was a cruel thing to say but if he was aware of it he made no indication. He said it like he was giving an answer to a question on a piece of homework. "You and me. You were right the first time around. I don't think it's going to work out between us. We should just cut our losses." Isadora said nothing, mostly because she had no idea what to say in response. Sirius took her silence as acceptance and turned away to go to the dungeons, leaving her looking as if she were hit over the head with a rogue bludger.

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Unfortunately for Sirius, Isadora was not the type of person to let dead dogs lie, as it were. When she walked into Slughorn's room, she saw Sirius sitting at their table already pulling out his potions ingredients. She was determined to get a reaction out of him, something, anything, just so she knew that he was still aware that she was alive. She strode purposefully over to him and threw her bag at his feet. He looked up and while it was clear she had his attention, his expression still did not give her any clues as to what he was thinking.

At that point, she didn't care. Sirius watched quizzically as Isadora took off her jacket and jammed it onto the back of her chair. She then grabbed her right wrist and unbuttoned the sleeve of her shirt. She rolled it up so he could see what she was reaching for. He realized what she was doing when he caught sight of a bright red object on her wrist. The phoenix bracelet he had given her for Christmas. She ripped it off her wrist and slammed it down on the table in front of him. She then sat back down and rolled down her sleeve, attempting to focus her eyes to the front of the room where Slughorn stood.

Whatever reaction she was hoping for, Isadora didn't get it. Instead, Sirius just picked up the bracelet and stuffed it in his pocket.

In a couple of minutes, all of the other students had arrived and Slughorn began the class. He spoke only a few sentences before releasing them to work on their potions with their partners. Isadora had kept silent before but after seeing Sirius' reaction, she couldn't do so now. As soon as they began working, she immediately began to dig in, hissing her words at him over their cauldron and the steam rising above it.

"Sirius, I'm not going to let you get off that easy. You want to break up with me, fine. But at least give me an explanation."

"What's the point?" he said evasively, cutting up some fluxweed. He was unusually attentive to their work that day, finding anything to do so as not to have to look at the girl across the table from him.

"What's the point?" she repeated angrily. "The point is I deserve to know what's going on. I deserve to know what's going on with you, with our friends—"

"They're my friends," Sirius cut her off coldly. "James, Remus, they are my friends and what went on between us is none of your business."

Isadora felt like she was going to cry but she managed to keep it in check. When she spoke, her words were calm and filled with empathy. "Sirius please, don't do this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for telling James but I had no choice. What you did was wrong and I had to—"

"Just stop it," he interrupted her. "I don't need an apology. And I certainly don't need a lecture."

"Sirius, I'm not trying to lecture you, I'm just trying to understand what happened."

"Well, stop. I told you, Isadora. I don't want to talk about it," he finished somewhat aggressively. He began to gather his things and stuff them into his bag.

Professor Slughorn saw him collecting his belongings and walked over to the pair. "Excuse me, Mr. Black. Just what do you think you are doing? Class is not over yet."

Sirius just kept putting his things away. "I know. I'm leaving." With that, he slung his bag over his shoulder and made his way out of the dungeon.

Slughorn yelled at him as he left, "Detention, Mr. Black. Tonight at 8 o'clock."

"Fine," Sirius said over his shoulder.

After he walked out, Slughorn turned on Isadora. She quickly tried to make up an excuse for him. "Please, Professor. We were missing an ingredient. He went to go look for it."

"And what ingredient might that be?" said Slughorn smoothly. Isadora racked her brains but couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer. "His detention stands."

"Please, Professor," Isadora repeated before he could walk away. "We're almost done. We've been working really hard on this potion lately—"

Slughorn interrupted her, "Miss Angelline, his detention stands."

Isadora thought quickly and Lily jumped to her mind, "Could I have detention then too, Professor?"

"Excuse me?" he responded, not quite sure he heard her correctly.

"I'd like detention as well. It's my fault he left, really."

"Miss Angelline, I'm not in the habit of giving detention to those who don't deserve it. You are an excellent student and…" Professor Slughorn trailed off as he saw what Isadora was doing. She had scooped up a phial of the potion that she and Sirius had been making and poured it onto the ground. It hissed and sizzled where it had fallen upon the stone floor of the dungeon. "Very well, if you would like to serve detention that badly then you can report here at 8 o'clock with Mr. Black." With that, the Professor turned around to return to his desk, leaving Isadora to clean up the mess that she had made. The rest of the students looked on curiously at the girl who had once been part of the most talked about couple in Hogwarts.

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When Isadora sat down for dinner, her friend Lily chuckled at her. "Well, that was quite a show in potions."

"Your suggestion," responded Izzy, matter-of-factly. "it was the only way I could see to force him to spend two minutes with me."

"Well then, good luck."

"Thanks," Isadora looked down at her food unsatisfactorily. "You know what? I'm not even hungry." She shoved her plate away from her and stood up to leave. "I'm just gonna go right to detention."

Lily gave her a reassuring smile and off she went. She waited outside Slughorn's classroom for twenty minutes but she used the time to think of things she might say to Sirius. She wasn't angry at him. She knew that he only said what he did because he didn't want to talk about what had happened. As for breaking up with her…well, she'd cross that bridge when she came to it. When Sirius finally arrived, he saw her and stopped short, not expecting to see her at detention. Isadora took a deep breath and steeled herself. Only when she opened her mouth to speak, Professor Slughorn came down the corridor. When he saw the two of them, he ushered them into the classroom and immediately put them to work organizing and labeling potions ingredients. There was no chance to talk because Slughorn sat at his desk the whole time grading papers.

It was an awkward silence between Sirius and Isadora but after a couple of hours, they had finished. After inspecting their work, Slughorn returned their wands. Sirius received his first and left the classroom as fast as he could walking, without actually running.

Isadora followed and it took her a couple of minutes on her significantly shorter legs, but she finally caught up to him. "Sirius," she gasped when she finally caught up to him. She grabbed his arm and he turned to her.

"Sweet Merlin, Isadora. Why couldn't you have been this persistent when I actually wanted to date you?" He shook her off and continued walking down the corridor but stopped when he heard a soft thud and muffled sobs. He turned around and saw that she had collapsed on the floor crying. He couldn't stand it when girls cried. He had to do something. He walked over to her, picked her up gently off the floor and carried her into a nearby classroom. He set her down on the ground and held her. "I'm sorry, Izzy," he said softly. "I didn't mean to make you cry." He made a guttural sound of incredulity. "I didn't think you could."

"Of course I can, Sirius," she managed to get out in between sobs. "I've been worried sick about you. I didn't know what happened or if you were okay. No one will talk to me and then you just break up with me like that. I didn't mean to betray you, to talk to James. I just…I've been devastated."

Sirius didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He never imagined that what had happened had hit her as hard as it hit him. Instead, he just sat there and held her, rocking her softly until she calmed down and her breathing started to even out. It was then that he finally spoke. "I'm sorry, Izzy. I didn't mean to worry you like that. And I'm not angry at you for talking to James. You were right, I just…"

"Just what, Sirius?" she said looking up at him. "Why haven't you spoken to me? Why have you been avoiding me?" She looked at him pleadingly, without accusation or judgment and he caved.

"Look Izzy. When I pulled that prank, I really didn't think that it would turn out so bad. I wasn't thinking at all really."

"I know that," she said anxiously.

"Just let me finish." He paused and she was silent so he took that as his cue to continue, looking up at the ceiling as he talked. "After the whole fiasco…Dumbledore came down to the Whomping Willow and fixed everything I mean…He brought me back to his office to talk to me and…the look in his eyes. He wasn't angry just…just disappointed. So bloody disappointed in me. I couldn't stand it. The two of you aren't that closely related, you don't look anything alike…but I see him in you, you know? You're both smart, thoughtful. I see him in your eyes sometimes I think…it's just that look he gave me…I couldn't stand seeing you give me that look too, you know?"

He stopped talking and Isadora touched his cheek lightly, turning his face towards hers. She looked deep into his eyes before speaking, "I'm not here to judge you, Sirius. I'm not going to lecture you." He raised his eyebrows at her sarcastically, almost making her feel like it was old times again. "I know," she said quickly. "I know I've gotten mad at you before for some of the pranks you pulled but this was different." She paused, choosing her words carefully so as not to sound judgmental. "Stopping you from pulling stupid pranks is one thing but I'm not going to punish you. Dumbledore talked to you and that's that. I just want to be here for you. I care about you, Sirius. Please…just don't shut me out."

He held her tighter, "I care about you too, Izzy. I'm sorry I made you cry. I really didn't mean to. I thought you'd just get angry and disappear on me or something."

"Too late for that," she said softly. "You're stuck with me."

Sirius stiffened a little and pulled back, taking her face in his hands to look at her. "I meant what I said before. I think we need to break up."

She sat there looking at him silently, tears streaming down her face. "Why?" she asked softly.

He wanted to kiss her but resisted the urge. "It's not you, nothing to do with you. It's me, honest. I'm just all sorts of screwed up right now. I messed up bad, Izzy."

"I don't care," she said quickly. "I want to help you. Please, don't—"

"No," he cut her off. "I'm sorry, I just need to be alone for now. James and Remus won't even talk to me, they're so mad at me. I just need to sort through things before I go and make my life more complicated." He paused before continuing, unsure of what he was going to say. "I won't date anyone else or anything. Promise. Please believe me when I say I care about you more than I've ever cared about any other girl. I just need to get through my own shit right now is all."

Isadora nodded in understanding but didn't say a word. He took her acquiescence for what it was and didn't try to explain further. Instead, reached into his pocket and pulled out the bracelet that she had given back to him earlier. Isadora shook her head and pushed his hand away from her. She didn't want to look at the stupid thing anymore. If she kept it, this whole ordeal would just be harder.

Sirius reluctantly stuck the bracelet back in his pocket. Tears were still streaming down her face and so he wrapped his arms around her again. He just sat there holding her and stroking her hair gently. They stayed like that for quite some time before silently deciding to return to Gryffindor Tower. When they reached the foot of the dormitory stairs, Sirius gave Isadora a soft, chaste kiss on her lips before she turned to walk upstairs. He watched her go and they both knew that it would be quite some time before they would feel the touch of one another's lips again.


	21. Regrets

**IMPORTANT STORY NOTE**

**Hello Loves,**

**Here's the deal. Since picking up this story again I've been reworking and reconsidering some things. As a result, I've decided to change a couple of points. They're not major changes but nevertheless, I'd like to inform you all of them.**

**1. Isadora doesn't have her own phoenix. I know, I know, seems like a big plot change but it really won't be. I find it far too complicated to include Ash into the future of this story. Let's just say that she is very close to Fawkes and that he is the phoenix that she hangs out with by the lake on occasion. I'm going to go back and change those chapters that mention this but you really don't have to reread as long as you bear this in mind.**

**2. Slight change to the last chapter. I posted it too quickly. There is a point when Isadora and Sirius are in potions when she is trying to talk to him. I have just changed it so that she gives him back the bracelet he gave her for Christmas. I suggest you reread the chapter if you want, not a huge thing but I am sort of partial to it.**

**Sorry about the changes. If I sit too long with a story it means I find its flaws. No worries though. I'm pretty sure I have the whole thing mapped out to the end now. Well…...mostly. There's a hell of a lot more to go so please enjoy and let me know if you do or you don't!**

**Also, thank you to Sirius-Baby and Hermione09Weasley for your lovely reviews!**

**Love from Kassie**

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**Chapter 21: Regrets**

Isadora sat at lunch alone a couple of afternoons later, poking her salad limply with her fork. The past few days were awful, deplorable, her worst at Hogwarts yet, and she'd had some bad days. She also had some good days though and she missed them. Isadora wasn't upset at Sirius per say, just at the situation. She understood why he broke up with her. But that didn't mean that she had to be happy about it. And it didn't help that everyone was talking about what had happened.

The first thing that Alice had asked her when she sat down at the breakfast table with Lily (the morning after Sirius broke up with her) was whether or not it was true. Lily had quickly elbowed her friend in the ribs but the damage had been done. Isadora had said nothing. She just gritted her teeth, stood up and stalked off. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

And as far as the boys of Gryffindor were concerned…well, Isadora had avoided the Marauder's like the plague (not that any of them except for Peter would have said more than two words to her), interacting with Sirius only at Potions. She wasn't trying to be unkind towards her former, she just couldn't handle more than frivolous conversation. Who was she kidding? She could hardly handle it when his hand grazed hers as he was reaching for a plant that was near her on the table. When did this happen? It felt like just yesterday that she did everything she could to spurn his advances. Now she was barely able to be around him. The fact of the matter was, she had fallen head over heels for Sirius Black and she didn't even know when it had happened.

Thankfully, the school year was almost over. She only had a few weeks left and some O.W.L.'s and then that was it. She could leave this place behind and not have to think about it until next September. Isadora shook her head to clear it of her murky thoughts. She dropped her fork with a clatter onto her plate and stood up to leave. She had to stop moping. She hadn't got any serious studying done in well over a week and she had to get cracking if she was going to get the grades she needed on her exams.

As she raised herself from the bench though, something at the other end of the table caught her eye. Sirius. He was sitting alone looking just as miserable as she had been lately. He poked unenthusiastically at his breakfast, unknowingly mirroring Isadora's movements just a few moments earlier. She felt for him and wished that she could do something to help. Isadora at least had Lily to speak to so that she wasn't completely alone. Sirius however, had no one. She was pretty sure that James and Remus still weren't talking to him and that Peter was probably too busy following James around to—

Isadora's thoughts were interrupted by a girl who had approached her and was tapping her nervously on the shoulder. Without a word, she handed her a piece of folded up parchment and was off. Isadora was going to say thank you but didn't even get the chance. Instead, she shrugged and opened up the note.

_I would be much obliged if you would join me for tea at 3 o'clock this afternoon._

_ -Albus Dumbledore_

Isadora inwardly groaned. She hated the way he wrote his notes, making them sound like an invitation when she knew that it was anything but. It was a command and if she didn't show, he would probably send McGonagall after her. She let out a small sigh and made her way out of the Great Hall, sparing a quick glance only for Sirius. He was still sitting at the table, looking just as dejected and lonely as he had before.

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"Ah, Isadora. Thank you for being prompt."

The girl gave her uncle a weak smile before sitting down across the desk from him. A house elf quickly appeared with a tray of tea and biscuits and Isadora poured some into cups for the both of them. As she sat back down, Fawkes appeared and joined them, which warmed the girl's heart a little. She turned her attention back to Dumbledore and saw him quietly sipping his tea, probably waiting for her to speak first.

"You asked me to come a day earlier than usual," she commented for lack of something better to say.

"Yes," he replied before setting down his teacup gently on the desk. "I won't be able to meet with you tomorrow I'm afraid. Actually, probably not for the rest of the school year. I find myself quite busy around this time."

"That's all right," she said blankly. "I need to focus on my exams anyways."

"I'm sure you'll be just fine child. You always were a diligent student. However, this afternoon I wanted to discuss a different matter with you." Isadora groaned inwardly. She knew he was going to bring up the Whomping Willow incident and she really didn't want to talk to him about it. Dumbledore pushed his glasses up a little higher on his nose and continued speaking, "I'd like to know where you'd like to spend your summer. You are of course welcome to spend it here with me or perhaps you'd like to go back to the Manor—"

Despite her surprise she quickly interrupted him, "France. I want to go back to France."

"You've already sold the house in Marseilles."

She shook her head. "No. Paris. I want to stay in Paris. That should be where most of my old friends from Beauxbatons are."

Iasadora chuckled to herself a little at that statement. Truth was, she didn't have any friends from Beauxbatons that she had kept in touch with. While the student population wasn't entirely made up of bourgeois society, they certainly upheld its principals, which made attending the academy a bit like living in an acromantuala's lair. If one wasn't careful, they would surely be devoured by the swarming creatures. And the swarming creatures at Beauxbatons would be the girls. Unlike at Hogwarts, they ruled with an iron fist. School was a constant competition over who was the most talented, the most beautiful, the richest witch. Quite frankly, Isadora found it boring but it was easier to play along than to allow the other girls to walk all over her. Fortunately though, her family history allowed her to fit right in with the society elite that made up the crème de la crème of the school. It didn't mean though that she would use the term 'friend' to describe the girls that she had socialized with. Any one of them would have been glad to point a wand at her back if they thought they could get something out of it. The male population was generally content to sit back and watch the bloodbath. Thankfully she had found a few male friends there who were at least slightly normal, rich yes, but normal. They usually holidayed in Paris and she might be able to look a few of them up if she stayed there over the summer.

Isadora cleared her throat before continuing, "I'll stay at the Plaza at Champs-Élysées. They're nice to me there. It's quiet."

Dumbledore looked at her intently for a second. She really hated that. It always felt like he could see right through her and know exactly what she was thinking. He let out a small sigh, "You're sure you don't want to stay in England?"

"Yes," she said quietly but firmly.

"Does this have anything to do with what happened with your friends last week?"

"No," she responded unconvincingly.

Despite his doubt, he didn't push it too much. "I've been meaning to ask you about that actually. You see, after you came up to my office that night, I went down to the Whomping Willow to intervene. Fortunately Mr. Snape was not badly hurt, unconscious yes, but Madame Pomfrey managed to revive him. James Potter had gotten to him in time. Afterwards, he and Mr. Black joined me here for a cup of tea to explain what had happened."

"He didn't mean to do it," said Isadora quickly. "Sirius. I mean, he did do it, he just didn't realize how—"

"Yes Isadora, I am quite aware. Hence the reason he was not expelled and is instead serving what I consider to be a record-breaking number of detentions." Isadora looked like she wanted to say something else but Dumbledore raised his hand gently and she bit her lip. "I know that Sirius has a good heart. He is simply…rash. But that is neither her nor there. What I wanted to discuss with you was the contents of their story."

"Their story?"

"Their explanation for what had happened. Now everything is clear to me except for one point. When Severus approached Remus in the Shrieking Shack, he was hit in the head and knocked unconscious. Then along came James and Sirius who managed to subdue the werewolf and get Severus out of there. How do you suppose they managed that?"

Isadora shrugged, "With their wands?"

Dumbledore eyed her suspiciously. "That's what they said. It doesn't seem quite right to me though. To subdue a werewolf is a difficult task, never mind the fact that they are still students."

Isadora straightened up a little. "They are both very talented wizards." She paused and gave a small laugh. "It's funny. I've never seen either of them so much as crack open a book and yet, they pass every test and never so much as fumble a spell."

Dumbledore studied her for a second trying to ascertain whether or not she was telling the truth. Apparently, he was satisfied. A sound indicating amusement escaped from the back of his throat. "I suppose you're right. Those boys are immensely talented. I was hoping they might use it to pursue less havoc wreaking endeavors. But alas…"

He went silent and Isadora shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "All finished?" she asked. "I need to get some more studying done."

He nodded politely in her direction and she got up to leave. Her hand was on the door handle when he stopped her by saying her name. She turned around and looked at him curiously. "I'll have Fulton make arrangements for you to stay in Paris for the summer."

She smiled gratefully. She was going to leave but he stopped her again. "Ah, I nearly almost forgot." Dumbledore came out from behind his desk and approached her. Isadora noticed that he had something in his hand, a plainly wrapped package. He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently before giving her the package. Dumbledore looked down at her and she saw that his eyes glittered with love and admiration from behind his half-moon spectacles. "Your parents would be so proud of you. I'm so proud of you. The young woman you've become…I know you're going to do marvelously on your exams. I hope you enjoy this," he indicated the package he had placed in her hands. "Maybe it will help to relieve some of your anxieties. Happy birthday."

Isadora winced a little. She hadn't told anyone about that and she was secretly hoping that he had forgotten. But he never forgot. Even though they had seen very little of each other over the years, he had always remembered to send her a birthday present. "Thanks," she mumbled and quickly left his office, stuffing the package into her cloak as she walked.

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Isadora made her way not to the library but to Gryffindor Tower. And when she arrived in the common room she made her way up the staircase on the left, not the one on the right. She stopped outside the door labeled "Marauders," steeled herself by taking a deep breath and rapped her knuckles quickly on the door. She heard a soft "come in," and slowly opened the door to peek inside.

The dormitory was the messiest that she had ever seen it. Usually, it was the area around Peter's bed that was the worst but on this particular occasion, the whole room looked just as bad, even the floor surrounding Remus's space. Isadora scanned her eyes quickly around the room and saw only James and Remus there, lying on their beds. James looked up as she entered but his eyes didn't register much of a response. "Sirius isn't here," he said lazily.

"It doesn't matter," she said hesitantly. "I just had to talk to any one of you really." She stepped into the room and closed the door gently without waiting for an invitation. She made her way towards the boys and stood uncomfortably near the end of James' bed. She had an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu, as she had stood there just a week earlier, frantically trying to wake up James to warn him of the trouble that Sirius had gotten himself into. She shifted nervously on her feet as she spoke. "I just wanted to warn you boys about…well, I spoke to Dumbledore just now."

"About what?" asked James sharply. Remus just stared at her, his eyes passive and stationary.

"About what happened last week. He was…concerned," she finished uncertainly.

"About what?" asked Remus, his attention now held.

"About how they managed to stop you," she nodded towards James as she said this. "When you were a werewolf I mean."

"What did you say?" asked James quickly.

"I didn't tell him," she responded, nearly cutting him off. "I figured you didn't tell him about you and Sirius and Peter. I think he believed me." James relaxed visibly but Remus remained tense. "I don't think he'll ask me about it again, or you. I just thought I'd warn you. Just…you should be careful is all."

Both James and Remus remained silent and after standing uncomfortably for another few seconds she turned around to leave. Before she could reach the door though, James had spoken, "Hey, Isadora." She stopped and turned back around to stare at him. "Thanks…Thanks for not saying anything. That's pretty cool of you."

She nodded at him. She was about to leave but stopped and considered something. She made up her mind and walked back over towards their beds. "Look," she said. "I know it's probably none of my business but I just wanted to talk to you about Sirius." If James was relaxed before, he was clearly on edge now. "It's just that…he's really upset over what happened. I know he won't say anything to the two of you but he really does know that what he did was wrong. He is sorry. I just…I feel bad for him. He's lonely without you two."

"He has you," said James nonchalantly. Remus looked just as uncaring as his friend.

"No, he doesn't," she said softly. "He broke up with me—we broke up—it doesn't matter. Just…don't be too hard on him, okay? He wasn't trying to expose your secret or hurt you guys or anything like that. He was just…being Sirius. You know what he's like…just try and get over it all right? He needs someone right now." The boys remained silent and Isadora made her way out of their room and straight up to her dormitory.

When she reached her room, she found herself alone. Good. She removed the package that Dumbledore had given her from her cloak and hung the garment on her chair. She sat down on her bed and stared at the brown paper package. Clearly, it was a book. Isadora sighed and began to delicately unwrap the present. When she saw what it was, her heart nearly broke.

It was a very old French edition of a muggle book, _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_. Isadora's breath caught in her throat and she almost collapsed.

It was the book that her father used to read to her when she was little. They would spend long hours together in their living room, snuggled up on the couch. He always called her his little Alice, telling her that she would have even grander adventures than her favorite heroine.

When her parents died, Isadora insisted that she leave the house in France that she had spent most of her life in. She was young at the time, but adamant. She never wanted to step foot in that place again. Her parents had owned many properties but that particular house held too many memories for her. Dumbledore had acquiesced and she went to live at Angelline Manor in England until she started school a few years later at Beauxbatons Academy. The house wasn't completely foreign to her. It had been in her family for nearly a hundred years and she used to holiday there with her parents all the time.

When she moved there though, she didn't bother looking through her parent's former possessions. Most of it was saved and brought to the Manor but much of it had been lost along the way. Isadora's greatest regret was that she had never bothered to save the book that her father used to read to her.

The copy that Dumbledore had given her was nearly identical. Her childhood memories came rushing back and Isadora clung to the book like a lifeline, failing to repress the tears that seemed to come so often these days. She lay down on her bed and didn't move for hours. She skipped dinner and when her roommates returned to the dormitory, she feigned sleep. But sleep never came. She lay motionless in bed the entire night, her features gently lit by the moonlight streaming in through the window. In the morning, she got ready and left the dorm before her roommates woke.

Isadora carried the book around with her, hidden in her bag for the rest of term.

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**PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	22. A Prelude to Change

Hello Loves,

**Hello Loves,**

**Yeah, so I haven't gotten to write too much of the boys lately so this chapter was fun. Hope you enjoy!**

**Love from Kassie**

**P.S. Thanks to Sirius-Baby, my only reviewer! : - (**

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**Chapter 22: A Prelude to Change**

After the startling events at the end of the Marauder's 6th year at Hogwarts, nothing could ever be the same, nor should it be. One season blends into the next, life goes away, and all for the purpose of returning the following year, changed, but essentially the same. Fortunately for the four boys, the bonds of friendship went deeper than misunderstandings and they didn't have to wait until the following year for a reconciliation to occur.

James and Remus had taken Isadora's advice to heart, if not for Sirius' sake, then for their own. The simple fact of the matter was that life was dull with only three Marauder's. They each played their parts and the group felt empty with one missing. And so it came about that James and Remus finally decided to forgive and forget.

They found Sirius where he often was these days, lying lethargically on his bed studying the ceiling as if it would suddenly reveal the secret to everlasting happiness. When they first approached him they received no response, not because he was ignoring them but because he was simply far too accustomed to the stony silence that greeted him whenever he entered the dormitory. When Sirius finally did realize that his friends were addressing him, he struggled to sit upright and find the words to form a response.

None came.

With a sigh, James and Remus looked at each other and silently came to the conclusion that they had left their friend alone for far too long. It was clear that his lack of communication with those closest to him had taken its toll. Oh sure, he was popular and had plenty of friends in other years and other houses who would have been more than willing to take up the slack. But to Sirius, they were acquaintances and could not make up for the friendships that he had in his own dormitory. Because of his melancholy, he had shunned everyone around him, perhaps as a sort of self-inflicted punishment that mirrored the one his friends had given him. The time for this punishment though, was clearly over. They were ready to let the dog back into the house because frankly, he was starting to look delirious and smell a little ripe. His pupils were permanently dilated from a consistent lack of sleep and he had become a slightly fidgety, jumpy individual, not at all the calm, cool and cocky wizard that the world was used to seeing when they looked at him.

The boys took pity upon their friend's shocked silence and pulled two chairs over to his bed. They sat down casually as if they were getting ready for a game of poker.

"All right," said James matter-of-factly. "We're done. That's it then."

Sirius' eyes darted nervously back and forth between his two friends and he looked slightly incapable of processing what they were saying to him. "Look, mate…uh…I know I messed up. Can't we maybe…discuss it or something like that? Don't you think it would be…I dunno…ridiculous for us to live together all next year and not speak to each other?" He sounded a bit like a shy fourteen year old asking the girl of his dreams to go to Hogsmeade with him. And Sirius Black was not the type to get shy when it came to asking out pretty girls. Apparently, fit seventeen-year-old boys got him tongue-tied.

Remus and James gave each other a look and then started laughing uncontrollably at their friend's less than colloquial response. Remus picked up a pillow off of Sirius's bed and used it to whack its owner upside the head. "Oi, Padfoot. You do know you're a tosser, right? Did you honestly think that we would scrap you over this?"

"Could you imagine?" laughed James. "What would we do next? Invite Snape to take his place as a Marauder?!"

The boys turned to Sirius and awaited his laugh but it never came. Apparently, he was still in a state of shock. "We really have left you alone for far too long," muttered Remus.

"Agreed," said James. "Time to wake up, Padfoot." With little fanfare, the two boys then shoved Sirius towards the bathroom and encouraged him to shower and use the time to wake up a little and hopefully smell a bit better.

When Sirius emerged fifteen minutes later, he did indeed look a little more alert, shaking out his shaggy hair to rid it of moisture. And apparently, he had thought somewhat about what to say in this particular situation because he walked right up to his friends (who were playing a game of chess on Remus's bed) and started babbling. "Right, so I'm a wanker. I shouldn't have done what I did. Snivelly's an arse but he probably didn't deserve that and more importantly it put all of us, especially you Moony, in serious danger of being exposed."

Boys will be boys. They lack the inclination that girls have to drag things out and so, that seemed to be all of the apology that Remus and James required. All was forgiven and all was mended.

After changing into some much needed fresh clothes, Sirius played the winner of their chess game (Remus of course) and the three were soon laughing and joking like old times.

"So anyways," said Sirius, changing the course of conversation. "How's Pete with all this?" His friends looked at him a bit quizzically. "You know, is he mad at me?"

"Aw, you know Pete," said Remus. "He's actually a bit like yourself. I don't think he ever quite grasped the gravity of the situation."

Sirius winced a little at the barb. The truth could hurt though and he was just happy to have his friends back so he let it pass without comment.

James however, took pity on his friend, "What Moony means to say is that Pete is just Pete. You know how he tends to just go with the flow. When the two of us weren't talking to you it was just easier for him to side with us. Now that we're talking to you again though, I'm sure he'll turn right around."

James smiled, thinking that this explained everything but privately, Sirius felt a little animosity towards Peter when he pulled shite like this. He could understand being mad at him for what he'd done, but not talking to him just because it made his life easier? If he were to be honest with himself, Sirius often found Peter's fickle loyalties to be quite irritating and more than a little cowardly.

Sirius shook his head of his negative thoughts and focused on James who was talking animatedly on a new subject. "…And speaking of people who don't talk to you and then start talking to you, I really do have the most wonderful news. In a way Padfoot, what you did was good because otherwise it would never have happened…"

Remus groaned and Sirius looked over at him mouthing, "Is he making sense?"

"No, he isn't," said Remus loudly. He didn't mind interrupting James' monologue. It was clear that he had heard it several times before. "He's been going on for two bloody weeks, he just won't shut up about it. Oi, Prongs!" he yelled. James was startled out of his reverie. "Get to the point. Sirius didn't hear the story so you need to start at the beginning."

James nodded excitedly. "Right, sorry. Really Sirius, I do have to thank you. Well, you and Isadora." Sirius raised an eyebrow at Remus but he waved him into silence. If James didn't get through saying what he had to say, it was quite possible he would burst. "You two are the most lovely people ever. It's because of you that my precious Lily flower has been speaking to me. Speaking! As in actual conversation."

"Not sure I follow," responded Sirius slowly.

Remus groaned. "Let me clarify. After what happened, Lily started bugging Isadora to tell her what had…transpired and why everyone associated with us had been walking around like bloody inferi."

"And so," interrupted James. "Your lovely ex told my beautiful Lily the whole story."

Sirius blanched but Remus quickly stepped in. "Not the whole story. Just what she could. That a prank went terribly wrong that night and that it had to be fixed—"

"—And that I selflessly and courageously rescued my good friend Sirius from certain disaster and expulsion—"

"—Not the words that either girl used," continued Remus seamlessly. "Although, apparently something about this ones behavior," he jabbed a thumb in James' direction before continuing, "struck a chord with Ms. Evans because she seemed to take pity on him while he was moping in our absence."

Sirius chuckled a little, "And how exactly did she take pity on you, Prongs?"

Sirius could have sworn he heard Remus muttering something under his breath about not asking questions like that but James paid it no heed. "She spoke to me," he said triumphantly. "More than once. She asked me how I was doing and how I was feeling and if there was anything she could help me with, homework or anything else since I wasn't feeling well—"

"—And I assume you can give me word for word transcripts of these conversations so that I can study their meaning and significance…" interrupted Sirius.

James' face lit up and Remus quickly intervened, "He was joking Prongs! Merlin, you can be daft when it comes to that girl. She messes with the wiring in your brain, do you know that?"

James looked a little hurt but Sirius clapped him on the back. "Aww, forget it James. Remus just has yet to figure out how much a pretty girl can mess with your brain. The second he finds one he fancies, he'll turn to mush just like you."

Remus frowned, "And speaking of girls we fancy, can you explain why you broke up with the girlfriend that you spent months, literally months chasing down just so she would give you the time of day."

"That's right," said James. "Although she was unclear on whether or not the breakup was mutual or initiated by you. According to most of the school, it was you that did the dumping. Is it true?"

Sirius groaned, "Does it really matter at this point?"

"I told you you'd just get bored," muttered Remus. "Yes, she's very pretty but I really thought you saw more to her than that."

James winced. He could tell that Sirius was trying his best to keep things calm but Isadora was always a sore point between he and Remus and he knew that his friend wouldn't take that comment lying down. "Look, Moony, I'm really happy that you're talking to me again but I really wish you'd just shut your mouth about things you don't understand. Do I find her physically attractive? Yeah, of course. You'd have to be blind not to. But do you honestly think I would have ever pushed her to do something she didn't want to do?" At this point, Sirius's voice was filled with hurt more than anger over the fact that his friend could very possibly think such terrible things of him. "I never shagged her. I never stuck my hand in her knickers. Merlin, the best I got was up her sweater once or twice. You don't think I realize that she's younger than me?! She puts on airs but I was her first bloody kiss, I know that!"

"All right, all right," interrupted Remus loudly and apologetically. "I give. I wave the white flag. You're right." Sirius looked at his friend warily but kept his mouth shut. Remus in turn, took the few seconds that his exclamation had bought to find his words.

"You are absolutely right. You would never intentionally hurt Isadora and I was a git to imply otherwise. I've seen you two together. Much as you hate to admit it, I know you're completely wonky for the girl." He gave a heavy and meaningful sigh. "Which is why I just can't seem to grasp the reasons for your breaking up with her."

Sirius closed his eyes for a second before continuing. "Yes, you're right. I care about her…a lot." It was a credit to their friendship that James and Remus resisted the urge take the mickey out of him for saying those words. After years of Sirius' notorious philandering and insistence that he would never settle down with just one girl, he had done just that. And not with just any girl, but really the youngest and most virginal one that he could find. Nevertheless, they bit their tongues and respectfully let him continue, knowing that it meant a lot for him to say those words about someone, as innocuous as they may have seemed on the surface.

"It's because I care about her that I broke up with her. My life is really all sixes and sevens right now and I don't need to drag her into that. I know you can understand that, Remus," he said, not unkindly. "Everything was such a mess after the Snivelly thing and my family's always been nutters."

"Yeah, but you've always been dealing with your family, that's nothing new," interrupted James. "Besides," he said cracking a grin. "What difference do they make now that mine's adopted you?"

Sirius returned his friend's grin. "I suppose you're right but—"

"And for that matter," continued James, now on a roll. "What does the Snivelly thing have to do with it anymore? A few weeks ago yeah, but it's pretty much done now. There's only a couple of days left before we go home, you're done with your detentions…where's the hitch? If you ask me, some sadistic part of you enjoyed hiding out in your bed this whole time, just moping about and tormenting yourself."

The look on Sirius' face was priceless. He was entirely gob smacked, turned upside down and was mentally beating himself like a house elf. Realization had dawned. "I am a complete and total tosspot," he said slowly, more to himself than to anyone else. "A fucking idiot. If I was her, I would hate me. I made her bloody cry." He took a good look at his friends before asking the question he really didn't want to ask, "I bollocksed this whole thing up right and proper, didn't I?"

James nodded knowingly. Truthfully, he was enjoying being able to give his friend advice about girls for a change. "Yup. Right and properly fucked you are," he said cheerfully. "But think of it this way. You still have a couple days left before summer holidays. All you need to do before then is to get her to agree to let you send her letters and possibly visit her. Then you can spend the whole time trying to win her back. And you, mate, are nothing if not persistent. I guarantee you you'll have her back by September."

It seemed that Sirius had tuned out his friend's optimism though because he just sat there, shaking his head listlessly at his own stupidity.

Remus meanwhile, was giving James an appraising sort of look. "Well, color me impressed. I can't believe you changed his tune that quickly."

James puffed up his chest a little, rumpled his already rumpled hair with a stray hand, and when he spoke his voice was smug. "Hey, I can give advice and use logic just as well as you, Moony. You're not the only person that people turn to in a crisis."

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A whistle sounded and the passengers of the Hogwarts Express felt the train shudder and stop as the pistons ground to a halt. Looking out the window, Sirius could see families and friends gathered on platform 9 ¾, waiting eagerly to greet their loved ones after a long absence.

He sighed. Not that he wasn't happy to be going back to the Potter's for the summer. He just always preferred Hogwarts. At James' house, he always felt like a guest in someone else's home. A very welcome guest, but a guest nonetheless. Hogwarts felt like more of a home to him than any other place ever had. A very large and very fun home in which there was all sorts of mischief to be done. Unfortunately, there was no staying there over the summer and so, the Potter's it was.

The four Marauder's took their time getting their things together and ambled off the train as one. As they walked, they nodded farewells to their classmates who stopped to wish them a good holiday. Peter was the first to break off from the group when he saw his parents waiting on the platform. They all made quick goodbye's and promises to meet up the following week.

The other three boys took a quick look around and didn't see James' or Remus' parents. James sighed, "They're late again." He put his trunk on the ground and sat down on it. The other two boys followed suit so that they could have a chat while they waited.

They talked about nothing in particular, their conversation rambling from their annual party at the Potter's (when James' parents went away for the weekend) to their plans for the rest of the summer.

Sirius however, was off in his own little world. He had spotted Isadora across the platform. She was standing by herself, her head darting around, obviously looking for someone. Sirius hadn't seen her on the train and supposed that she had sat by herself somewhere. He noticed that she was doing that a lot these days. He knew from Remus that she was still talking to him and Lily but he still hadn't gotten up the courage to go and speak to her himself. There she was, just a little ways off. If he was going to talk to her, now was the time.

As he watched, he saw her eyes fixate on someone. Her face changed from its usual stoicism to one of excitement and happiness. Sirius's heart stopped a little and he smiled. He loved that look. He rarely ever saw it and when he did, it had usually been because of him. Isadora spent so much time putting up façade and he wished she would let go a little more. He often wondered if she was actually happy or just going through the motions. He sometimes wondered the same thing about himself. Maybe that was why he found himself attracted to her…

Sirius felt a sharp pain to the back of his head and turned to see James holding a book in his hand. Obviously, this was the cause of his anguish. He rubbed his head a little. "What the bloody hell was that for, Prongs?"

"Well, if you'd been paying attention to your mates and not a skirt, you would know what it was for." Sirius turned a shade of red that his friends didn't know he was capable of. James didn't let the opportunity pass him by. "I never thought I'd see the day. Sirius Black in love."

"I am NOT in love with her," he responded adamantly. "I haven't known her that long…" he trailed off.

"Doesn't stop you from molesting her with your eyes," retorted James.

"Fine," mumbled Sirius. "I was looking at her. I'm not in love though…I just happen to be…in like with her. Very much in like with her."

"Just go talk to her," said Remus. "Right now. Quick, before she leaves. I really don't fancy watching you mope all summer. I'm sure you have some big romantic gesture in mind, so just get on with it so we can all go back to normal."

Sirius' face, which had just started to go back to normal, returned to its previous shade of scarlet. Without a word he stood up and opened his trunk to pull something out of it. He then walked off in the direction of his desire, leaving his friends behind.

"I was just taking a piss," laughed Remus. "I didn't think he actually had anything planned."

"This is great," said James. "Now I'm not the only one who acts stupid over a girl."

"And what girl might this be?" said a voice over his shoulder. James turned around and saw his father. Mr. Potter was an elderly man with grey hair and a smile reminiscent of his son's. "Sorry I'm late," he apologized. "But I still want to know, who's the girl?" He nodded in the direction of Sirius and the boys realized that he hadn't heard what they were saying. "He always has a different girl at the house every week but I've never seen him say goodbye to one at the end of term…or kiss her."

James and Remus whipped around and sure enough, there was Sirius and Isadora standing in the middle of Platform 9 ¾, kissing.

James turned back to his father and sighed. "That's the girl he's in like with."

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Isadora was starting to get a little worried. Marcus was always waiting for her whenever she arrived anywhere. He was _never_ late. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. What was she supposed to do if he didn't show up? She had never actually been on her own in London before. She'd never traveled by floo or the Knight Bus or anything like that. Maybe she could find an owl to send to Dumbl—" Her thoughts were cut off as she saw a familiar face on the platform. It was an unexpected but appreciated surprise.

The man who approached her was tall and self-assured. His brown hair was graying slightly at the ends but anyone who met him would not have called him old. He had the energy of a man half his age and you couldn't help but like his amiable demeanor. When he reached Isadora he enveloped her in a huge bear hug.

When they pulled apart, Isadora looked up at him in shock. "What are you doing here, Fulton? I though Marcus was coming."

"Are you serious? It's the end of your first year at Hogwarts. I wanted to see how you were. How was the last of your O.W.L.S.?" he asked concernedly.

"They were fine," she answered truthfully. "I thought they were going to be bad but they really weren't. I actually had a really great year."

"Good," he smiled.

"So why did you come here?" she asked with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

He looked down at her like a father looks at a daughter. "I'm not here on business, Isadora. I might be the Angelline solicitor but that doesn't mean I don't care about you. I was there when you were born for Merlin's sake." Fulton ruffled her hair affectionately and she fought the urge to push his hand away. She might have appreciated his presence but she was still a teenage girl who didn't want to be subjected to embarrassing behavior by parental like figures. "Actually, I was hoping you'd come stay and have dinner with the family before you jet off to Paris."

Isadora fought back her tears and gave what she felt was her first genuine smile in weeks. "I'd love to."

"Here," said Fulton. "Let's get your things together."

He bent down to pick up her trunk but the movement was halted because at that exact moment, Fulton was hit smack in the face by a large, feathery object.

Isadora tried to suppress a giggle. Part of the problem of being her solicitor was the number of owls that were prone to seek you at any given time of any given day. As they both struggled to extract the creature from his robes, Isadora caught sight of a figure walking towards them.

"Sorry, I'll be right back," she said quickly. "I just need to say goodbye to someone." She felt bad leaving Fulton to deal with the owl on his own, but she really didn't want him to catch sight of Sirius. One glance at his haughty, aristocratic good looks and cocky demeanor was enough to convince any parent that he was trouble and should be kept away from their daughter at all costs. Not that she was Fulton's daughter but she still didn't think that he'd take too kindly to the boy.

"Hey," Sirius said as they approached each other.

Isadora paused. "Hi…what are you doing here?"

"Well…seeing as you can't disapparate on the train, the only place to go when you get off is the platform—"

"—I meant what are you doing here, in front of me…you haven't exactly been talking to me lately."

Sirius made a show of studying a particularly interesting piece of dirt on the ground. "I know. I'm sorry. I just didn't know what to say." He paused to lift his head and look at her. "Are you mad at me?"

"I should be," she responded tartly. Then she softened her voice. "But I'm not."

They stared at each other uncomfortably for a few seconds until she broke the silence. "What are you doing here, Sirius?"

He cleared his throat. "I just wanted to say goodbye, to wish you a good holiday and everything," he said nervously.

She smiled sheepishly as she hadn't seen him nervous around her before. It felt good to know that he actually missed her. That still didn't mean that she had any idea of what to say to him. She settled on, "Umm…you too."

When asked by his friends afterwards, he really couldn't say what had come over him. He just grabbed her and kissed her. He was grateful to find that she kissed him back. Well…she did for a couple of seconds anyways. Then, she pulled away.

"Sirius! What are you doing?" Isadora glanced behind her and was relieved to see that Fulton was still dealing with the overzealous owl.

"Sorry," responded Sirius quickly. "I just wanted to…here." He thrust something into her hand. "Just take a look at it tomorrow at eleven o'clock okay?...I just want to keep in touch with you this summer. Maybe we could meet up or something? Prongs is having a party next Saturday. It's sort of an annual end of year celebration. His parents go on holiday that weekend so the whole thing gets a little crazy. It should be fun though. It doesn't have to be a date or anything," he quickly added. "Unless you want it to be. But it doesn't have to. We could just—"

"Sirius," she interrupted his ramblings. "I can't."

"No, really," he said quickly. "I won't try anything. I just think you'd have fun. Everyone will be there—"

"Sirius!" she exclaimed in order to cut him off again. "It's not that I don't want to. I'm just not going to be here. I'm going to Paris for the summer." She paused to let the information sink in.

"I thought you always stay at the Manor during holidays," he said dejectedly. "It's near Devon, right?"

Isadora nodded.

"That's near the Potter's," he said softly. "They're near Godric's Hollow."

Isadora supposed that he deserved an explanation for her departure. "It's just that…with everything that happened I thought I might just get away for awhile. Some of my old friends from Beauxbatons holiday there. I thought I might look them up…" she trailed off uncomfortably.

"I thought you didn't have any friends at Beauxbatons?" It wasn't an accusation. It was more like he was trying to devise a reason for her to stay.

"I have…acquaintances." They stood there for a second.

"Well," said Sirius brusquely, interrupting the moment and returning to his usual state of aloofness. "I guess it's a good thing I gave you that." He nodded to the object that he had pressed into her hand a few moments earlier.

Isadora had forgotten that she was holding it. She looked down and saw that it was a piece of parchment. She unrolled it and saw nothing particularly telling. It was blank. "What is it?" she asked curiously.

"You'll see…" Sirius smiled mischievously. She liked that smile and gave him one in return. "Just make sure you take a look at it tomorrow. Eleven o'clock, right?"

She nodded. "Right."

"Well, I'd better get going then." He nodded to Fulton who was standing a few paces away. He had managed to sort the owl out and was giving Sirius a look that told him that their conversation was over. "Have fun in Paris." He smiled softly at her once more before turning around to make his way back to his friends.

Isadora shook her head. "He can be really strange sometimes," she muttered before turning back to Fulton. She saw the look on his face and thought to herself, 'Yep, doesn't like him, not one little bit.'

"Please tell me that isn't your boyfriend," he said wearily, eyeing Sirius cautiously as he ambled off. "I was hoping we'd have at least a couple more years before we had to contend with that."

"No," she said firmly, trying to reassure him. "Definitely not my boyfriend. He's just a friend. Really. I actually made some of those this year," she said trying to divert his attention.

Fulton gave her a wry smile. Clearly, he did not believe her and was not to be diverted. "He looks older."

"A bit," she said democratically. He raised his eyebrows in a gesture that let her know she wasn't going to wiggle her way out of this that easily. Isadora sighed. "He's seventeen. He has one year of school left."

Fulton looked like he wanted to walk over to Sirius and avada kedavra him right there in front of everybody.

"It's not that bad," said Isadora, taking his arm and turning him in the direction of her trunk.

"He's too old for you," he said sternly as he picked up the heavy piece of luggage. The two of them began to make their way to the barrier.

"He's only three years older. I'm fourteen now," said Isadora in that way that teenagers do that makes it clear they think they are all grown up and don't need adults telling them what to do.

"Barely," he scoffed. He didn't argue the point though because he really didn't want to think about the things that Isadora would probably do with a boyfriend. "Which reminds me, your present's at the house. I knew I'd be seeing you so I held on to it. And I think Serena's planned something for you tonight. A party or cake or something." He saw that Isadora looked nervous at the prospect. "Don't worry. She knows how much you hate people. I'm sure it'll just be the family."

Isadora was relieved and privately, she looked forward to it. Serena was Fulton's wife and had always treated Isadora like one of her own. Evenings with Fulton's family were always enjoyable. It was by no means quiet as his three kids were quite the handful but it was the closest she could get to feeling like she belonged somewhere. Isadora looked up and could see the wheels turning in Fulton's head and a frown on his face. Clearly, he was still fretting over Sirius. She decided to throw him a bone. "Look, if it really bothers you that much you should know that we only dated for a few months and that we are now officially and definitely broken up."

That did nothing to alleviate Fulton's anxieties. "I saw the look on his face, Isadora. Trust me, he does not want to stay broken up. I know teenage boys."

Isadora groaned. "Well then, be happy that I'll be in Paris, hundreds of kilometers away from his evil intentions."

Fulton chuckled. He knew she was needling him. "Does Dumbledore know about this?"

"No," she said quickly. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell him. It's none of his business." He stopped walking and gave her a stern look that she didn't like. "Please?" she begged.

Fulton's face softened. "Promise you two are finished?"

"Why do you think I'm running off to Paris?" she muttered.

"He's seventeen," he retorted. "He can disapparate."

The two of them stood there for a second staring each other down, neither wanting to budge. Finally, Fulton sighed and put his arm around Isadora's shoulders and they continued walking. "All right, then. Just between us. But please don't start dating him again. I'm not sure I could handle it."

Isadora giggled a little as they approached the barrier. He went through first and she watched as he disappeared into the brick wall. She paused, looking back at the three Marauder's and James' father who were still on the platform, chatting animatedly. Then she turned around, walked up to the barrier and in a second she was gone.

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**PLEASE REVIEW……..PRETTY PLEASE……..I REALLY LIKE FEEDBACK!! FIRST YEAR IN THE STORY IS OVER AND THINGS ARE GOING TO BE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT FROM HERE ON OUT SO PLEASE PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW IT'S GOING!!**


	23. Conversations

Hello Loves,

**Hello Loves,**

**I have been waiting for MONTHS to write this chapter. The idea has been germinating in my head for awhile so it came out pretty quick. Two in one day. Not bad huh? The next one should be up by Sunday at the latest. Possibly tomorrow. That one's itching to be put on paper as well.**

**ENJOY!!**

**Love from Kassie**

**P.S. Thanks to Surima Anouk, Hermione09Weasley and BEEcausexoxo for reviewing!...and to anyone else who reviews 22 after I post this.**

**P.P.S. Was there some confusion over where Izzy is over the summer? It is Paris.**

**!!STORY NOTE!!**

**It's probably obvious, but I'm telling you just in case. In this chapter, font in italics is Sirius, regular is Izzy.**

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**Chapter 23: Conversations**

SUMMER, 1977

_Hello there…_

Hello? Sirius?

_That's what they call me._

What is this?

_A piece of parchment._

You're such a wanker. How is it doing this?

_I worked out a charm to put on it. I have a piece of it too. As we write, the words appear on the other's piece and then fade away._

How in the name of Merlin did you figure out how to do this?

_I'm brilliant of course._

Well, I hate to make you more arrogant than you already are but I must admit, I am mildly impressed.

_Only mildly?_

Only mildly.

_I'm laughing at you right now. You're too stubborn._

Look who's talking.

_I am just the right amount of stubborn. So, how's the city of love?_

Beautiful. I got here this morning.

_You probably have some grand apartment there?_

Nope. Staying in a hotel.

_The whole summer?_

Yes.

_Let me guess…your room has a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower?_

Arc de Triomphe.

_Same thing._

One's a tower. The other's an arch.

_Same thing._

What was that about being stubborn?

_I stand by my statement._

How's the Potter's?

_I have a beautiful view of the moors._

What are James' parents like?

_They're great. They've always been good to me. Dinner was a right pain in the arse last night though._

Care to elaborate?

_Mr. P saw me kiss you on the platform yesterday and Mrs. P has made it her personal mission to find out everything she can about you._

Shouldn't be too hard. Just crack open a newspaper to the business section and look for the name Angelline. What did you tell them?

_The truth. That you're hopelessly in love with me and I was giving you a goodbye kiss just to throw you a bone._

Hilarious.

_As if Prongs would let me get away with that. He wouldn't shut up. He answered just about every question they asked. I'm just thankful he didn't tell them your last name._

Me too. Don't fancy them knowing who my family is. Did you get back at him?

_Of course. Let's just say that he's going to have trouble the next week finding clothes that aren't pink._

Now that's an adult response.

_I'm not an adult._

You are by law.

_Oh, dear. I suppose I'm too old for you now._

Some people certainly think so.

_Like the man who was with you on the platform yesterday? He looked like he wanted to crucio me._

I think he did. That was Fulton. Family solicitor.

_Rather friendly for a solicitor._

I've known him my whole life. He and my parents were good friends. He's pretty much responsible for me. Day to day running of my life and that sort of thing.

_I thought that was Dumbledore's job._

He has a job.

_You don't want to talk about this._

Not particularly.

_Well…tell me about Paris then._

Buy a tourist guide.

_Sorry. I didn't mean to pry._

No, it's not you. I'm tired. Traveling and all that. Think I'm just gonna go take a nap.

_All right. Same time tomorrow?_

Sure.

_Sweet dreams._

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_When was your birthday?_

Where did that come from?

_I don't know. Just came to me yesterday. It must be coming up, right? You should be fourteen by September._

I already am.

_I missed it?_

Yup.

_Why didn't you tell me?_

We broke up.

_Where can I send you an owl?_

You don't have to get me anything.

_Where can I send you and owl?_

Really, it's all right. I don't need anything.

_Where can I send you and owl?_

Same place as before you stubborn arse.

_Thank you._

I meant to ask, how was the party last week?

_Excellent. If you had come you would have been entirely sloshed. We were drinking firewhiskey all night._

Hex me if I ever try and touch the stuff again. Were there a lot of people?

_Oh, yes. Most of Hogwarts. No second or third years though. We have to draw the line somewhere._

Slytherins?

_I think not. Gryffindors do not associate with Slytherins. I should think you would have learned that by now._

Of course, how could I forget? Any pretty girls?

_I knew you were going to ask me that._

I knew you weren't going to answer.

_There were quite a few. Don't hold a candle to you though._

Don't flatter me. Did you shag any of them?

_What do you think?_

I honestly don't know.

_Of course not._

Should I believe you?

_How can you ask me that?_

You're right. Of course I believe you. It's just we are technically still broken up. You have every right to date other girls.

_Do you want me to?_

Not the point.

_Yes it is. Do you want me to?_

No.

_Then don't bring it up again._

I'm sorry.

_I gotta go. We're meeting up with Moony in a bit._

I really am sorry.

_Don't worry about it. Same time on Friday?_

Yes. Have fun tonight.

_You too._

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Still pissed?

_Still making wild accusations?_

No.

_Me neither._

Good.

_Are you my girlfriend again?_

What? No.

_Why not?_

You broke up with me. You stopped talking to me. You snogged me on the platform in front of everyone.

_I get the picture. I'm sorry. For all of it._

Why'd you do it?

_Do what?_

Break up with me.

_I told you why._

It was a shite reason. You know that. And I know James told you as much.

_Moony has a big mouth._

I was upset. He helped me out. He threw me a bone.

_Fuck. I'm sorry. I can't tell you how sorry I am._

Don't tell me you're sorry. Tell me why.

_Shit, I don't know. I freaked out a little._

About? Snape? You? Me? What?

_You. Definitely you._

Why? What did I do?

_Nothing. You didn't do anything wrong._

Well then

_Don't say anything. Just be quiet a minute. Yes, I understand the parchment is quiet. Just don't say anything. Let me get through this._

_I am an idiot. You know why I freaked out. I've never had a girlfriend before. We were getting pretty serious and I bolted. It wasn't that I wanted to date other girls or anything. Believe it or not, going without sex was never the issue. I think that just being attached to one girl for so long was starting to get…weird. I don't usually do that. It's not an excuse, I know. As for breaking up with you when I did...I think some sick twisted part of my mind latched on to the Snivelly thing and used it as an excuse. I didn't even realize I was doing it. I swear. I'm not all that self-aware you know? So there it is. I freaked out at the thought of having a long term relationship._

I had no idea.

_I'm good at putting on an act. You should know. You do the same thing._

I thought you were apologizing, not insulting me.

_That wasn't an insult. Just the truth. We both put on acts. I think that's why we noticed each other in the first place._

Fine, but I still don't get it. You never even hinted that that was how you felt. You chased after me. You were all over me, all the time.

_I know. I guess I just...I spent so much time pushing to get to that point with you that I never thought what would happen when I got there._

And now? What's changed? What's stopping you from freaking out again?

_I won't do it again._

You're over it? You're okay with the idea now?

_No. Not really. But I will be. At some point. I know I won't pull that shit again. It hurt too much._

You were hurt by it?

_No. You were. I won't do that to you again. I promise._

How can you promise something like that?

_I know it. Please. I want you back. More than anything, I do._

I have to go.

_Please don't be mad._

I'm not. I just need to think. Just let me think.

_Same time tomorrow?_

Monday. I'll speak to you on Monday.

_Okay. Bye._

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_Hey._

Hi.

_Done thinking?_

I get it. I understand why you did what you did. It hurt and part of me's still pissed, but I get it.

_Do you forgive me?_

Yes.

_Are we back together?_

No.

_What are we then?_

I don't know. I'd say friends but we both know that won't stick.

_Probably not._

Can we just settle for limbo for now? I'm in Paris anyways. It's not like we could have a great relationship without being able to see each other.

_So…are you saying when school starts again_

I don't know. I really don't. Just give it time. Then we'll see.

_Time. You know I hate waiting right?_

I know.

_Doesn't matter. I'll wait for you._

And there's the sweet talk. I was wondering when that would crop up.

_Only for you, baby. Just don't tell anyone._

Like they'd believe me.

_You're probably right._

Tell me something funny.

_Something funny?_

I love when you make me laugh.

_Me too. All right…heard about James yet?_

No.

_You won't believe it._

Try me.

_He's head boy._

You're right. I don't believe it.

_I'm not joking._

He wasn't even a prefect.

_Apparently, it doesn't matter._

That's not possible.

_We think it has something to do with the Whomping Willow Incident._

Is that its official name now?

_Yes. We decided._

What would the "WWI" have to do with it?

_Dumbledore was pretty impressed with Prongs up in his office. Running down there to rescue Snivelly and all._

So he made him head boy?!

_It would appear so._

That is funny. How long do you give it until he pulls a prank?

_We already have a pool going. I'm down for Halloween._

Put me down for the third week of September. There's no way he's holding out that long.

_He will if Lily's head girl and I'm sure she will be._

She is. I've been in touch with her.

_There you go. He won't do anything with his precious Lily-pads watching. But I know him. He won't be able to resist the allure of Halloween._

His precious Lily-pads?

_That's what he calls her._

I knew you could make me laugh.

_I'd love to keep going but it's getting late._

Agreed. Tomorrow?

_Tomorrow. Night._

Good night.

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_I saw something interesting in the Prophet this morning._

You read the _Prophet_?

_If you must know, Mr. P spotted it._

Spotted what?

_A picture of you. You looked cute. You were all dolled up and on the arm of some guy._

It was probably some fundraiser.

_No. It was in front of a club. The pic was in Rita Skeeter's column._

I really hate her.

_I'd ask you who the guy is but it says right here. I quote: the handsome new star chaser for the Bigonville Bombers, André Augustin. Thoughts?_

He's just a friend.

_How do you even know him?_

We went to school together. He graduated last year and got picked up by Luxembourg.

_Why didn't you tell me about him?_

There was nothing to tell. I told you I was looking up some wizards from Beauxbatons. He's nice. He takes me out with his mates sometimes.

_And the picture?_

I don't know where it was taken, I'm not looking at it. He likes to go to posh places. There was probably a reporter or something lurking about.

_Are you screwing with me?_

I'm going to say this one more time and that's it. We are just friends. I don't have too many of those these days in case you hadn't noticed. Even if I wanted to date him it wouldn't be possible. My minder, Marcus, is on me like a brassed off giant the second I step foot out of the hotel. Follows me everywhere.

_You promise?_

Wasn't it you just a few weeks ago getting mad at me for not trusting you?

_Yes. I'm sorry. I miss you._

I miss you too.

**IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Hello?

_I'm here._

Are you okay? What happened to you yesterday?

_Sorry. Something came up._

??

_My uncle Alphard died._

I'm sorry. He was the one you liked, right?

_Yup. One of the few good Blacks in the whole bloody line._

Did you go to the funeral?

_No. Wouldn't have been allowed. 'Dromeda told me what happened. She couldn't go either._

Andromeda. She's your cousin that married the muggle?

_Yup._

Good for her.

_Yeah. She's happy._

Are you okay?

_Yeah, I'm fine. I miss him but I haven't seen him in awhile. Don't think it's really sunk in yet. Anyways, the reason I couldn't write you yesterday was that he did something really stupid before he died._

What?

_They read his will yesterday. He left me his inheritance._

Is that good or bad?

_Good in the long run I suppose. This means I can afford to get my own place when I'm done with school._

And right now?

_I had to see my mother and her solicitor yesterday. She was a right nutter. Tried to do everything she could to make sure I didn't get the money._

She didn't manage it, did she?

_Nah. Didn't have a leg to stand on. His will was pretty clear. 'Dromeda and her husband Ted came with me to make sure it all worked out. Merlin, was mum pissed. She blasted Alphard right off the family tapestry._

I'm sorry.

_Are you kidding? It was great. I can't believe he did that for me. I hope the tapestry wasn't too important to him though. Never was to me. I'd like to think it wouldn't have really mattered to him._

It probably didn't. I'm sure he knew exactly what he was doing when he left you what he had.

_Thanks. You're pretty good at cheering me up, you know?_

Maybe I can do one better.

_Does this involve talking dirty to me?_

You're a pig.

_You love it._

What I was going to say was that I talked to Fulton and he's going to try and work it out so that I can come back to Britain early.

_How early?_

Don't know yet. I have some events already planned over here that he's going to try and get me out of.

_That'd be great._

I know. I can't wait to see you.

_Me too._

Well, I'll let you know when I hear more.

_Please do. Same time Sunday?_

Same time Sunday.

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Thank you.

_For?_

The late birthday present.

_Your welcome. Sorry it took so long. Couldn't figure out what to get._

It's perfect. Although technically you gave it to me for Christmas already.

_You gave it back._

So you thought you'd save a little money and re-gift?

_That was the plan. Besides, it looks better on you than it does me. Red just isn't my color._

I'm glad you gave it back. I always liked it.

_Good. I better see you wearing it in some picture in that stupid Rita Skeeter column._

Ugh. I noticed that. Why does she keep writing about me?

_You're rich, young and pretty. People get interested in girls like that._

Is that why you're interested in me?

_Not amused._

Oh, relax. I was pulling your leg.

_You'd better be._

Well, much as I'd love to torment you some more, I have to go.

_Big date?_

Some charity thing.

_I can tell it's important to you._

Be nice.

_I always am._

Let's ask half the girls of Hogwarts what they think about that.

_Ouch._

The truth hurts.

_Don't I know it. Same time tomorrow?_

Absolutely.

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Good news.

_Tell me quick. We're off to the beach in a minute._

I'm coming back end of July.

_In two weeks?!_

You bet.

_How'd you pull it off?_

Fulton is brilliant.

_That he is. Tell him I said thanks._

Don't think he'd let me come back if he knew it was to see you.

_Is that the only reason you're coming back? To see me?_

Be serious.

_I am._

I really hate that joke.

_So do I. Tell me, why are you coming back?_

Don't make me say it.

_Say it._

To be with you.

_Good. So I was thinking, when you come back we should give it another go._

Are you sure?

_Aren't you?_

Yes.

_Settled then. Honestly, I can't wait to kiss you again._

You're making me blush.

_I can make it worse. Remember our snogging sessions in Sluggy's storeroom?_

Merlin, was he daft. I can't believe that time he walked in on us and I told him I was trying to get at some poison you'd swallowed.

_Oh, that was great. Of course he'd believe anything that one of his favorites say. I'm surprised he didn't ask you to join Slug Club._

He did. I turned him down.

_And he let you get away with it? From what I hear, he's pretty persistent._

I think Albus talked to him about it. There are some perks to being the Headmaster's niece.

_Shit. Gotta go. James is trying to work the car._

Good luck with that.

_I'll see you in two weeks._

I'm counting the days.

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_Izzy?_

_What happened to you? You were supposed to be here by now._

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_Izzy? I'm sending an owl to your house elf._

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_I don't know if your house elf got my message. Look, if you changed your mind, that's fine. Please just let me know you're okay. You're really starting scare the shit out of me._

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_Izzy?!_

_Izzy?_

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**Sorry. That hurt to write.**

**REVIEW PLEASE!!**


	24. Sleep

**Hello Darlings,**

**Yeah, this one's pretty short. It's almost the second half of Chapter 23 but it didn't follow the same format so I broke it up. Let me know what you think please!**

**Love from Kassie**

**P.S. Thanks to Surima Anouk, asdfghjklerica, Hermione09Weasley, Sirius-Baby and XxXRoseVixenXxX for reviewing! **

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**Chapter 23: Sleep**

Isadora was in that place halfway between the real world and the one made up of dreams. She felt as if she had been stuck there forever. She had never felt so tired before and dreaded opening her eyes so instead settled on rolling over.

She struggled to fall back asleep but found that her head would not allow such a thing. Images were mulling around in there and none of them pleasant. With a start, Isadora realized that the images were left over from the dreams that she had been lost in. The problem was that they were completely senseless and she couldn't make heads or tails of them. The clearest thing she had from them were feelings. Feelings of despair, fear, darkness, death and power. A terrible, terrible power.

Isadora's heart began to palpitate and her breath quickened. Her chest felt constricted but she couldn't figure out why. It was something like a panic attack. She'd had had them a few times before but it was never anything like this. This was much, much stronger than anything she had felt before. Isadora took in deep, gasping breaths in order to calm herself.

That was when she knew that something was wrong. Oddly enough, it was the smell that tipped her off. The smell was wrong. Her bed at the hotel smelled of cinnamon, flowers and clean sheets. Right now, all she smelled was starch.

Isadora bolted upright and her eyes shot open. The first thing she saw was…white. Just white. As her eyes adjusted to the light (overhead fluorescents had been on) she realized that she was in sparse room that contained only the bed she was sleeping on and a door. The bed, sheets, floor, walls and even the gown she was wearing was white.

Isadora snapped her eyes shut and tried to slow her breath and her head. She felt dizzy, like she might faint. Instead, she tried to focus her mind, narrowing her memories to pick up and the last one she could recall. Maybe she would remember how she came to be here?

There…she saw it. She was sitting in her room at the hotel, getting ready. She had showered, dried off and went to her closet to pick out some clothes. She had settled on a dark green, short-sleeved dress that was simple and didn't attract too much attention. She had fixed her hair, put on a bit of light makeup and grabbed her purse.

She remembered that she had planned on going shopping. She wanted to get a few gifts for her friends and maybe something special for Sirius to give him upon her return to England. She left her room and stepped into the hallway where the lift was already waiting for her. It was one of those old fashioned ones with metal gates that shut behind her with a gentle clang. She watched the scene change as the lift moved down from floor to floor. The lift stopped at the lobby and a bell dinged before the metal grate creaked open of its own accord. Isadora stepped into the lobby and with a glance, saw Marcus waiting for her by the front doors of the hotel. She began to make her way over to him, walking serenely and confidently.

And that was when it happened. A sharp pain that felt very much like someone was mentally and violently forcing himself into her head. She screamed and went down. She was dimly aware of Marcus standing above her asking her what was wrong and then picking her up. She had no physical control over herself whatsoever. Everything that was happening was happening in her mind…

No! Isadora's eyes shot open again and she was back in the white room. Wherever she had been inside her memories she knew instinctually that she didn't want to go back. It was a frightening and desperate place, filled with evil. Isadora felt a streak of terror run down her spine and her breath quickened again.

In a panic, she jumped out of the bed and ran to the only exit in the tiny room, a large door with a small window that was meant for peering inside. When she tugged on the door handle though, it was locked. Isadora's hands grasped at her neck and with a start, she realized that the purple stone pendant that never left her neck was in fact gone.

Now she was really in a panic. She stood on her tiptoes and glimpsed an empty white hallway lined with doors similar to the one she was standing in front of. Isadora began banging on the little glass window and screaming to be let out, screaming like her life depended on it.

Her voice became hoarse and scratchy quite quickly but after a couple of minutes she could just glimpse a woman approaching from down the hallway. She banged on the door harder begging to be let out.

As the woman approached, Isadora could see that she was wearing a white uniform. She had soft brown hair, kind eyes and a plump figure. Those kind eyes looked at her with a mixture of pity and regret and this more than anything startled Isadora into silence. No one had ever looked at her like that before.

"Please," she said softly. "Please let me out."

The woman was clearly startled by Isadora's abrupt change of tone. "I'm sorry?" she said. "Isadora, child, can you understand me?"

Isadora scanned her mind to try and place the woman's face but she had never met her before. "I'm sorry. How do you know me?"

If possible, the woman looked even more startled than she was before. She backed away from the door slowly, "I'd better get the healer."

"Healer?" shrieked Isadora. "Wait, please, don't leave me here. I can't stay in here. Please don't go."

The woman stood incredibly still for a second and looked into Isadora's eyes. Apparently something inside of her cracked because she reached gently into her pocket and produced a large silver key ring with about twenty-five keys on it. It took her about ten seconds to find the right one.

When the door creaked open, Isadora fell out onto the floor in a heap. She was breathing heavily and the cold tiles felt harsh on her exposed legs but she barely noticed.

The kindly woman knelt down and put her arm around Isadora's shoulders. "Child?" she asked gently. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, of course…" she responded faintly. "Why shouldn't I?"

The older woman looked nervous and unsure of what to say.

Isadora started to get suspicious and looked up at the woman. "Where am I?"

The woman paused before answering as if trying to decide something. "St. Mungo's dear. You're at St. Mungo's. In the Janus Thickey ward."

Isadora could swear her heart stopped beating. Her eyes became wide as saucers as she tried to process what the woman had said. The Janus Thickey ward? The one she had built? The one for long term residents?

A terrible thought occurred and Isadora tried to push it to the back of her mind but she could not avoid it. The question had to be asked. "How long have I been here?"

The woman quickly lowered her head and started to rise, trying to gently lift Isadora with her. "Perhaps we had better see the healer…"

"No," said Isadora insistently, gripping the woman's arms to bring her back down to her level. When she spoke again, her voice was crystal clear and intense. "How long have I been here?"

The woman hesitated before glancing up to look the girl in the eyes. Isadora could see that she had a pained expression on her face. It was clear she wanted to get Isadora out of there but the girl would not budge and she was forced to grant her request for information. When the woman spoke, it was with a voice so soft, it could almost be characterized as a heavy sigh.

"Almost five weeks now, love."

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**PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	25. 17 Years Later

**Hello my sweets,**

**Sorry it took so long. I went on vacation and then realized that I had to reread the Goblet of Fire and take painstakingly accurate notes (yes, I'm that anal about staying true to cannon) in order to plan out the next part of the story. It will soon become apparent why.**

**Just so you know, it's looking like this story is in five parts. I just finished part 1 and am starting part 2. Basically, each part is a different year, from September to June. This also means that this is going to be LONG. I hope I have everyone's attention by the end of it. If not, there's always the scrap heap of crappy writing that I amass.**

**Out of all the chapters, this would be the one to review as I am embarking in a new direction.**

**Love from Kassie**

**P.S. Thanks to hpfan4ever, raj, Hermione09Weasley, Sirius-Baby, and asdfjklerica for reviewing! **

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**Chapter 25: 17 Years Later**

AUGUST, 1994

NORTHERN ALBANIAN FOREST

Isadora sighed as she trudged her way through the muddy undergrowth. Not for the first time that day, she was grateful for the muggle boots and slacks that she had chosen to wear. They held up better in this sort of terrain than wizard clothing because muggles didn't rely on magic to deal with life's little inconveniences.

Of course the forest that Isadora was currently navigating could be characterized as far more than an inconvenience. Despite being known for having hotter, drier summers, Albania was still a humid country overall, especially in its interior. Floods were common and tsunamis even more so on the southwest coast. Deforestation had become a problem in recent years and more than once, Isadora wished that the stupid muggles could have at least had the decency to remove this particular patch of forest. It was located near the Drin River and Lake Shkodra which made it particularly damp and uncomfortable. Traveling through it for days was starting to grate on her nerves and she was trying to push back the sneaking suspicion that her efforts were becoming quite pointless. She wasn't going to find what she was looking for.

Isadora stopped abruptly, released a guttural noise from her throat and made the decision to return to civilization. She had to meet Dumbledore that night anyways. She just wished that she had better news to give him.

Isadora changed direction and despite the mud, managed to make her way somewhat swiftly through the trees. Her tiny frame helped matters significantly.

Physically speaking, Isadora hadn't changed much since she was young. She was still rather petite and while her body had filled out a little bit more, the change was not drastic. Her face still had aristocratic and strikingly beautiful features, even with mud smeared all over it. At 31, she had aged well, looking more like 25.

What had changed about her would probably only have been noticed by those who knew her as a teenager. The cool and composed face that she had previously reserved only for strangers and business functions was now a permanent feature. Rarely did she let slip the carefree laugh and smile that when she was younger had indicated she was enjoying herself. Perhaps because she usually wasn't. She'd been through and seen too much to think that there was any happiness left for her in this world. All that kept her going was the desire to stamp out the evil that had ruined the lives of so many around her. This world-weariness was reflected her face. Anyone that knew her before would be able to see now that she had been through a lot and that she carried herself with a quiet sort of wisdom these days. Whether she was actually wise or just able to project that image was up for debate.

Her sense of calm though, was not an act. Isadora had lost much of the fiery temper that she had struggled with throughout adolescence. She was not quick to speak or act and her eyes gave the sense that she was always considering, always calculating. Most people who encountered her had trouble shaking the feeling that they were being evaluated and it was just a little disconcerting. Not helping this impression much was a sense of power that seemed to radiate from her. As to where this power came from, that was difficult to pinpoint.

In addition to this, there was one physical feature of hers that was markedly different and managed to draw the eye of anyone who spoke to her, at least initially. Running diagonally across her chest and about six or so inches in length was a faint but unmistakable scar that began on her left collarbone. Instead of marring her beauty though, it seemed to enhance it, to give her a dangerous edge. Isadora bore it well, never attempting to hide it, but rather displaying it proudly, like a trophy that let people know she had encountered many things in this world and was not one to be trifled with.

Isadora fingered the pendant around her neck that she always wore. She tried to get a feel for the magic that was in the air. Clearly, something or someone had been working some kind of complex spell in the forest because the atmosphere was thick, magically speaking. All Isadora knew was that whatever kind of magic it was, it wasn't anything good because it had left the place in disarray. She found herself unable to disapparate in certain areas of the forest and as a result, had to make much of the journey on foot. She had a pretty good idea as to who had been messing with things because she had felt his dark magic before, but she couldn't figure out exactly what he was up to.

Isadora shook her head and realized that she was straying deeper into the forest as opposed to its edges. She focused her eyes and realized that she was staring at a one-legged creature that appeared to be made of smoke. She must have been following it for quite some time. Isadora shook her head. "Will-o'-the-wisp," she said before muttering a spell under her breath. The hinkypunk vanished and Isadora turned around to face in the proper direction before continuing on. She was now in a distinctly foul mood. Who knew how much time she had just lost? "Just great, Izzy," she said to herself. "Albus finally starts letting you help him track Voldemort and you get sidetracked by a hinkypunk."

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When she finally reached the inn that they were scheduled to meet at that evening, Isadora was cold, wet and hungry. She was happy to see that Albus Dumbledore was already there waiting and that he ordered a bowl of stew for her. He was sitting at a table in a back corner of the dimly lit room, clearly distancing himself from some of the noisier patrons. He wore robes of dark blue that seemed to blend into the background but his long white beard made him distinct.

Isadora approached the table, her muggle shoes making squishing noises on the floor as she walked. Dumbledore took in her chaotic appearance before raising his head so that his kind, twinkling eyes gazed into hers. "Trouble?" he asked simply.

Isadora shook her head and was grateful for the dim lighting. She was sure her face was little red because she was still embarrassed at getting sidetracked by something as mundane as a hinkypunk. "Just took me longer to get back than I thought it would," she replied as she sat down at the empty seat across from him.

Dumbledore gave a small smile and motioned towards the bowl in front of her. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of ordering you some stew."

"Not at all," she said, tasting it gratefully. "This is exactly what I need right now. It's been an interesting few days."

"Why don't you take some time to eat before telling me about it? In the meantime, I'll tell you my news. Firstly, I thought you might be interested to note that all of the logistics for the Triwizard Tournament have been taken care of. It will indeed occur at Hogwarts. Olympe Maxime and Igor Karkaroff shall be our guests this year."

"Are you sure having Karkaroff near Harry is such a good idea?" asked Isadora between bites.

"In these times, I think it far more important that we encourage relations with foreign wizards. I have a feeling we'll need all the allies we can get."

Isadora wrinkled her nose. "After last night, I think I'm inclined to agree with you."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows speculatively, inviting her to continue. "I felt something last night, a spell. One I haven't felt in quite a few years."

"I hope it's not what I think it is."

"I'm afraid it is," she responded just as grimly. "Avada Kedavra."

You could practically see the wheels turning in Dumbledore's head. "Any thoughts as to where?"

Isadora shook her head. "Nowhere nearby. I just felt a ripple through the magic. It's like when you throw a rock into the pond. I was only able to sense it as it was fading away. I'd have to be closer to it to know where it came from."

"This isn't good," said Dumbledore quietly.

"No," she agreed. "It's starting to feel like last time. Murders, disappearances. Any news on Bertha Jorkins?"

Dumbledore shook his head and switched back to the previous topic. "Last night? Was it anything like what you felt a month ago?"

"No," she said firmly. "That was different. Much stronger. I told you, that was like what I felt the first time I was in St. Mungo's. Same spell, same person, probably Voldemort. I've never felt dark magic as bad as that."

"Do you think it was he who is responsible for what you felt last night?"

Isadora shrugged. "Could be. Too far away to tell. If I was a betting kind of witch though, I'd say yes."

Dumbledore looked at her as if trying to ascertain something. "Are you all right?"

Isadora sighed and set down her spoon, having given up on eating for the time being. "I'm fine, Albus," she said in the weary tone of someone who has had a particular conversation many times over. "I'm not fourteen years old. I know my magic. I know how to control it. It doesn't control me anymore."

Dumbledore inclined his head in apology and decided to change the subject. "Perhaps you'd like to tell me what you found in the forest?"

Isadora shook her head regretfully. "Not much of anything."

"He didn't pass through there?" said Dumbledore with a slight trace of surprise in his voice.

"Oh, he was there all right," said Isadora matter-of-factly. "It must have been awhile ago though. There was only traces of his magic left. Nothing really tangible, nothing I could work with. The worst part about it was that whatever he did, he completely messed with the magic in the area. I couldn't even apparate."

Dumbledore's face registered shock for a second before returning to its usual mask of calm. "I don't profess to know as much as you about this sort of thing, but that must take some very dark magic to do something like that."

"Here's the rub," continued Isadora. "I think that what happened a month ago, the dark spell I felt, I think that this is where he cast it, in the forest. I've never felt anything like what I felt there. I was completely disoriented. And no," she answered the question she knew he would ask next. "I still don't have any more clues as to what kind of spell that was."

Dumbledore looked thoughtfully at his glass of wine and Isadora rethought her previous statement. Maybe that wasn't the question he was going to ask. "What aren't you telling me?" Dumbledore looked up at her but did not respond. "Do you know what spell he cast?"

He shook his head. "I have some ideas," he said. "But nothing concrete. I won't trouble you with them until they are."

"And if I want to be troubled?" she asked irritated.

"Patience," he said gently.

Isadora fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. Too juvenile. Instead, she remained silent and took another bite of stew.

"I have one more matter I'd like to discuss with you before I leave," he continued. She looked up at him curiously. "I think it's time you return to England."

Isadora's spoon fell with a clatter into her bowl. "No," she said firmly. "Absolutely not."

"It's been thirteen years."

"All the more reason not to. I don't much feel like cultivating old contacts. If I go back, I know I'm going to get drawn right back into Ministry politics and I'm through with all that."

"I don't want you at the Ministry, at least not yet," conceded Dumbledore. "For now, I'd appreciate it very much if you would consider taking a post at Hogwarts."

"Teaching?" she asked incredulously. "I don't exactly have a knack with children, Albus. Let me guess, you need to fill the Defense Against the Dark Arts position?"

"No, actually," he responded. "I had someone else in mind for that. I was hoping you'd teach Arithmancy this year. You always did well there. And it's only for third years and up. Professor Vector has taken ill and I would like someone there who I can rely on."

"Rely on to do what?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"To serve as added protection. You are well aware that our situation is becoming more and more precarious. Voldemort is gaining power and he has placed spies in Hogwarts before. I fully expect him to do so again. The fact is Isadora, you are far better than a spy. You can tell me things I don't know, you are aware of magic that I am not. I want as many people as possible present that are capable of protecting Harry. I want people who I can trust."

Isadora sighed. She knew when she was beaten. "Fine," she said listlessly. "But just for a year."

Dumbledore smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Out of curiosity," she added. "Who else are you bringing in?"

"Ah yes, that. As you know, I've been having difficulty in filling the Dark Arts position. For that particular post, I had Alastor Moody in mind."

Isadora had been waiting for the other shoe to drop and here it was. She shook her head. "No wonder you want me there. Let me guess. You've talked to him several times and he refuses to budge. Now you want me to take a pass at him."

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Once again, you are one step ahead of me."

"What makes you think he'll listen to me? It's been years since we've spoken."

"That does not alter the fact that he still thinks of you as a daughter."

Isadora felt a pang of guilt somewhere in her chest. Having lost her parents when she was young, she had seemed to collect parental figures along the way and Alastor was one of them. She had left England because she had to, she just couldn't bear to stay after everything that had happened. Alastor Moody was the one whom she had regretted leaving the most. They had not kept in touch and it hurt to think about him. To do so again made her realize just how much she missed him. It was time to face reality. She couldn't hide in France forever.

As if he could read her thoughts Dumbledore gently touched one of her hands that was resting on the table. "The heart forgives those it loves, Isadora."

She stared into his eyes for a second before pulling back her hand. "I'll talk to him," she said quietly. "You're right. It's time I go back."

Strangely enough, Isadora felt like a small weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said again. "And now, I think it's time you get some rest. School starts a week from Monday."

"That gives me plenty of time," she said with a hint of sarcasm before standing up to leave. "I'll let you know what Alastor says." She turned from the table but stopped halfway through the motion.

"There was something else I wanted to tell you." Dumbledore looked up at her expectantly. "There was another trace of magic I felt in the forest. Nothing too clear, but I know I've felt that magic before. I just can't remember whose it is. They must have been from a long time ago, though. I'm much better now at recognizing individual traces of magic. Whoever it was that I sensed was either helping Voldemort while he was hiding in the forest or ran into him and tried to defend himself. Any thoughts?"

If she could have seen his face clearly from that angle she would have seen Dumbledore's expression change to one of hesitation and regret. "No," he said quietly.

Isadora shrugged. "It'll come to me eventually. Probably an old Death Eater or something."

And with that, Isadora left to ask the innkeeper for a room. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to sit in a hot bath and soak all of the dirt, grime and dark magic from her skin.

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**IMPORTANT STORY NOTE**

**See what I mean about things changing? I had a whole second story planned for the part that she plays in the second war against Voldemort and have instead decided to blend the two so that the chapters go back and forth in time. I planned it out pretty well so I don't think it should be too confusing, but please let me know if it gets to be so. It's something that I'm playing around with.**

**As far as continuity in the Potter universe is concerned, EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN BOOKS 1 THROUGH 3 HAS HAPPENED IN THIS STORY. In fact most of what happens in the books, I'm trying to keep intact. I'm kind of trying to insert Isadora into it. This means that UNLESS I SPECIFICALLY CHANGE CERTAIN EVENTS IN THE FUTURE, PLEASE JUST ASSUME THAT THINGS HAPPENED ACCORDING TO THE BOOKS. I don't make any drastic changes anyways until book 5. Gee, I wonder why?**

**Because I'm keeping most of the books intact, the chapters that take place in the future are going to be shorter. At least for now, I'm mostly going to give smaller scenes of the part that Isadora plays in the overall scheme of things.**

**So, as I'm sure you can figure out right now, this chapter takes place in the summer before book 4, a couple days before the World Cup. Feel free to give input if you have strong feelings about how you think this format works. I know this is ambitious so I really do value your comments.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!**


	26. Old Friends

**Hello Darlings,**

**Not much to say except enjoy.**

**And thanks to Sirius-baby and hpfan4ever for their lovely reviews of the last chapter.**

**Love from Kassie **

**P.S. To answer your question hpfan, yes you will be seeing what happened during the first war. Won't be flashbacks though, the storylines are going to run side by side. There'll be a few chapters set in the 90's, then a few in the 70's and so on.**

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**Chapter 27: Old Friends**

AUGUST, 1994

ENGLAND

Isadora looked at the house in front of her and smirked. She wasn't the least bit surprised. Not only had it taken ages for her to find it but it was protected by more spells than she could count. Fortunately for Izzy, she knew the magic that had created those spells almost as well as she knew her own and so she was able to find the house after a bit of a hunt. Getting inside though, that would be a different story.

Isadora opened a very old, short wooden gate that was part of a fence that surrounded the house. It didn't look very well protected with the naked eye but if you tried breaking in, oh boy would you be in for a shock.

As she made her way down the walkway towards the front door, she examined the house more carefully. It was run down and in desperate need of a fresh coat of white paint as it looked more grey than anything. Dark curtains were drawn in every window and the glass panes were foggy with dirt. The front door was the newest thing about the place. It wasn't clean but it was large and sturdy. It was probably specially made because it didn't seem to quite fit with the rest of the house. On the door was a large brass knocker that Isadora rapped once, quickly and lightly.

Apparently, whoever was inside had seen her come up the walkway because a tiny metal hatch in the door was immediately pushed aside and Isadora could see a blue eye staring out at her.

"Name?" growled a voice from behind the door.

She was expecting this. "Isadora Nicole Angelline."

"When did you first meet me?"

"When I was fourteen, at Hogwarts, It must have been…1977, I suppose."

"Who introduced us?"

"Albus Dumbledore. He was my legal guardian and is my second cousin, once removed."

"When was the last time we saw each other and what was the last thing I said to you?"

Isadora groaned. This was getting tedious. "1981. We were at James and Lily Potter's house. The last thing you said to me was, 'you have to leave.' Then you let Sirius Black knock me out with a stunning spell. Are you satisfied now?"

She supposed he was because the little metal panel snapped shut and she heard him fiddling with a series of locks. Then the door opened and there stood Alastor Moody. The last time she had seen him he still had the magical eye and the missing chunk from his nose but the wooden leg was new. That guilty feeling at the pit of Isadora's stomach was back with a vengeance. She figured she'd better get used to it.

As for Moody, he gave her a quick look up and down and then grunted. "I knew he'd send you." Then he turned around and made his way deeper into the house.

Isadora closed the door and the magical locks started to move of their own accord. She followed Moody through the house and into the kitchen. She sat down on a tall stool at the counter while he conjured up some tea for them. When he set a cup down in front of her, she noticed that it was with two sugars and a splash of milk, just the way she liked.

They sat there in silence for a minute while Moody studied her. Isadora just stared down at her tea. She was vaguely aware of his magical eye moving back and forth over her, trying to see beyond the physical. "You've changed," he finally said. "You're in control now. I don't even notice the magic."

She nodded. For years, he had tried to encourage her to pull back. When Isadora entered a room, her first instinct was to feel it out with her magic. In theory a good idea but the problem with this when she was younger was that she had no control over it. She just released her magic abruptly which in dire situations could be useful. In everyday situations however, other witches and wizards could sense this and found it disconcerting, even though they didn't know what it was they were feeling. Moody had tried to teach her how to release her magic slowly and carefully, so that others would not be aware of what she was doing. At the time, Isadora found the task tedious but now, it was second nature to her.

Alastor grunted again. "Well, let's get this over with. I'm not teaching at that school and that's final."

"He needs your help," said Isadora quietly.

"Well, he has you Izzy. That's enough. You're more than capable."

15 years ago she would have basked in the praise but now she was just irritated. "You can never be too careful, Alastor. Constant vigilance, or don't you remember? The more people he has there, the better. Albus wants the best people to protect Harry. He wants you there…I want you there."

Moody wasn't swayed. "I don't want to get involved in this again. I'm happy right here, thanks."

"I didn't want to come back here either, but I did," she said more forcefully. "It's the right thing to do. Harry needs help and I'm going to give it to him. I owe Lily and James that much." Isadora paused and then decided to change tactics, softening her voice. "It's going to happen eventually. He's coming back, I can feel it." She gave him a small smile. "I know you. When the time comes, you won't just sit back and let other people fight. You'll be there, right in the thick of it. What's the difference if it's now or a year or two years from now?"

Moody emitted a sound that could be characterized as a cross between a snort and a growl. She could see the wheels in his head turning. "Five minutes. I thought I'd last longer than that. Fifteen, twenty minutes at least."

Isadora resisted the urge to laugh. "You'll come then?"

"Course I will. Can't leave you there alone to muck things up now can I?"

There was the Moody she remembered. Isadora's eyes glittered with moisture. In a swift movement, she was up and over to him, her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight hug. She was relieved to see that he hugged her back. It was like she was fifteen again and it felt good. "I really missed you," she said. He grunted in response. Isadora knew him well enough to interpret it as, 'me too.'

After a minute, she pulled back, suddenly embarrassed by her display of emotion. "I'm sorry," she said quickly.

Alastor knew she wasn't talking about the hug. "Don't. You lost a lot. More than most. I don't know what I would have done." Short, succinct. That was Moody.

"Didn't have much to begin with," she responded sardonically.

Moody chose not to respond. They sat there in silence drinking their tea. Isadora wished she knew where she stood with him. He was always the calm, focused, and silent type. Great against a room full of death eaters but dreadful to speak to about emotional matters. Clearly, he still cared about her but did he forgive her? Did he trust her? Would they ever get back to the way they were before? Damn that guilt. It was back. She felt like she would deserve it if he never spoke to her again.

Moody made a sharp move to stand and grunted again, "I'd better start packing. If I'm going to Hogwarts I want to be prepared. School starts in a week, no?" Isadora nodded. She assumed that the packing he referred to consisted mainly of the dark magic detectors that he was so fond of. It _would_ take him a week to pack those up. "Besides," he said. "I'm sure you have other people you need to see tonight?"

One down, two to go as a matter of fact. Isadora nodded grimly as she stood up to leave. "I'll see you next week, then?"

"Next week." Moody removed the teacups from the countertop and hobbled to the sink to clean them.

Isadora made her way to the kitchen door but before she reached it, she stopped and turned around. "Out of curiosity Alastor, why did you bother looking through the peephole when you can see right through the door?"

Moody spoke from his place at the sink but did not turn around. "Upper hand. If it's a stranger, I don't want him to know I can see what he's up to."

Isadora shook her head and chuckled a little before making her way to the front door to let herself out.

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It was a good thing Isadora had chosen to wear muggle clothes. It was a habit she had picked up from Lily years ago. She was skeptical about wearing them at first but once she did, she found them far more comfortable than wizard cothing. And at that particular moment, she was standing outside a flat in muggle London, which made her jeans and plain t-shirt that much more appropriate. The building she had entered was a depressing place that was old and dirty. As she had walked down the hallway, she saw cockroaches scuttle away from the sounds of her footsteps. The door she stood in front of didn't look much better. Isadora didn't hesitate to ring the buzzer because she knew if she did, she might lose her nerve and just turn around and leave.

She heard shuffling noises inside and the muffled sound of a lock being opened. Then the door swung back and she got a good look at Remus. He was dramatically different from what she remembered. His face was lined far more than it should be and he looked worn out. He could only have been 34 or 35. His clothes weren't in tatters, but they were clearly old.

When Remus caught sight of Isadora his eyes widened in shock but only for a second. Then his face hardened. "I'd say I'm surprised to see you but I don't think the words are strong enough." Nothing in his voice indicated pleasure. Nevertheless, he stepped back so she could enter. "Come in, I suppose."

"Thank you," she said as she stepped inside and took a quick look around. The flat was nice in a simple way. Remus might not have much money but did have pride and wouldn't let the place he lived in look like the rest of the run down building. The furniture was clearly bought used, but it was clean and orderly. Isadora sat down on a brown couch that was placed in front of a coffee table. Remus closed the door and sat down in a nearby chair.

"It's good to see you," she said quietly.

Remus chose to ignore that and get straight to it. "What are you doing here?"

Isadora sighed. She had asked herself that question many times on the way here. "I honestly don't know. I'm back in England. For good, probably. I guess I just thought…I should let you know, stop by here, something."

"It's been thirteen years. I'm surprised you didn't come back sooner. The Ministry hasn't had a price on your head for ages. Why return now?" On the surface, their conversation seemed like two old friends catching up but there was little cordiality to it.

"Albus. He wants me to teach at Hogwarts."

"Taking up my old job?"

She shook her head. "Arithmancy."

"Well, enjoy it then. There's some good kids in that school. You'll be surprised…when you see him I mean. He looks just like James."

Isadora nodded. "So I've heard." They lapsed into silence. Remus was avoiding the painful memories that seeing her brought up but Isadora didn't see the point in pretending that everything hadn't happened. "I've wanted to apologize to you for a long time now," she finally said. "It just never seemed like the right time. I know you think I was selfish, but every choice I made, I made for a reason, even if you can't understand it. I loved her you know, just as much as you. Mor—"

Remus cut her off brusquely. "Don't. Don't say her name. I don't want to hear it now."

"You still despise me, don't you?"

"No. I don't hate you. I just don't trust you." Isadora could see that he wasn't trying to comfort her when he said this, he was just being honest. In a way, it hurt more. She wished he would just lash out at her, she deserved it. Instead, he just plain thought that her intentions were bad or evil. "To be blunt," he continued, "I'm not sure why Dumbledore trusts you around Harry. Then again, he probably knows things about you that I don't. You never were a very honest sort of person." He was pleased to see that she didn't dispute that. "I hope you were at least honest with Sirius. He always trusted you no matter what anyone said to him, no matter what you did."

"Sirius knew me better than anyone. We could never be completely honest with one another because I wasn't a part of the Order, but we never lied to each other." Isadora reflected on that statement and let out a short chuckle before correcting herself bitterly. "At least I thought so. Obviously I was mistaken."

At that Remus's demeanor changed. He looked at her strangely and it made her uncomfortable. "I'm surprised. Out of everyone, you were the only one that believed he was innocent. When did you change your mind?"

Isadora was trying to figure out what the look on Remus' face was about and a sickening thought occurred to her. "Have you been in contact with him?"

Remus quickly shook his head. "No. Of course not."

"Well, you've clearly reconsidered whether or not he was guilty," she countered.

"I just…I don't know if he is or he isn't. All I want to remember about him was the friend that I had in school. Whatever became of him after that…he was a good person before he met you, I know that much." He didn't dare say anything more. He wasn't too fond of Isadora but he was feeling a great amount of guilt over the fact that everyone but her knew what had happened at Hogwarts the previous year. He thought that she deserved to know but it was Sirius's responsibility to tell her. If there was one thing Remus wouldn't do it was get in between those two. That was a surefire way to get into trouble.

Remus's barb had served its purpose. Isadora seemed to believe what he said and backtracked to answer his previous question. "I believed in him right up until a few months ago actually. Thirteen years I deluded myself." She was bitter.

Remus' curiosity got the better of him. "What changed?"

"If he was innocent, he would have come to see me. When I heard he escaped…I didn't expect him to find me right away. I knew he'd go for Harry first, try and prove his innocence. I thought that after he did that… But he didn't. And the only reason I can think of is that he really did do those terrible things. His actions certainly don't seem like those of an innocent man. Maybe he never loved me, or James, or Lily at all. Maybe none of us knew who really was…"

Remus was surprised to see that she didn't seem upset or even sad. Her eyes had a faraway look to them and she just seemed detached. He wanted to ask her if she really believed what she was saying but it wasn't his place.

Isadora's eyes focused and she realized where she was and who she was talking to. She wanted to change the subject and quickly. "I thought I should come tell you myself that I was back," she cleared her throat unnecessarily. "Dumbledore thinks Voldemort's going to return and so do I. If that happens, I'm sure he'll reinstate the Order. I'll be more involved this time around and we'll probably have to work together. I just thought I should warn you."

Remus studied Isadora for a second trying to figure her out. She was an enigma to him. "Consider me warned. Is that all?"

Isadora nodded and stood up to leave. She knew when a conversation was finished. For the second time that evening, she let herself out. Like before, she stopped before she reached the door when she heard an intake of breath that indicated he had more to say. "Did you do it? Were you working for Voldemort?"

Remus saw the change in her immediately, even though her back was still to him. Any unease that she had felt in his presence was gone. Instead of getting angry, her demeanor was cool and calm. Her very posture gave off the sense that she was in control and that she was not someone he should be tangling with.

Isadora actually laughed at his words. "Do you honestly expect me to answer that question?" Her voice was like liquid and had a clear, sharp edge to it. Her back was still to him. "You made up your mind about me a long time ago, Remus. And besides, if I was, why would I tell you?" Then she was gone, taking care to slam the door behind her.

Remus sat there contemplating their little meeting for quite some time after that. Isadora had changed a great deal and not in a good way. She was quieter and seemed infinitely more dangerous. When he first saw her, she seemed normal enough but the change that came over her right before she left was almost frightening. Her very presence was unnerving to him.

Remus had seen her that night that she found out how Lily and James had died and about Sirius's supposed role in it. There was no doubt in his mind that she had truly loved him. But her grief might have been only for him, not for his friends. If she was working for Voldemort, she might have thought she could turn Sirius. What happened that night would have ruined everything though. But if that was true, wouldn't she have known about Peter? Not necessarily. If Voldemort did have two spies in their midst, he might not have wanted them to know about each other. That was certainly a thought.

One thing was for sure, he didn't think Isadora should be anywhere near Harry. As long as Dumbledore was there though, he would be safe. At least Remus hoped so.

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As she walked, Isadora mentally berated herself. It was stupid of her to speak to him like that. She rarely ever lost her temper these days but when she did, it surfaced in a disquieting way, at least that's what Albus had told her. If Remus Lupin suspected her guilt before, he was probably convinced of it now.

Isadora ended that line of thought as she approached the threshold of her final stop that evening. She had to be on her guard here and couldn't afford distractions.

She was standing in front of a Manor and a very large one at that. Unlike the previous two places she had visited, this one screamed wealth and comfort. And in all likelihood, she would probably be given a much warmer reception here. The irony of that thought was not lost on her.

Isadora knocked on the door. In a place that big it was a wonder anyone would hear it but the door was quickly opened and a house elf that she didn't recognize stood before her. The little creature looked her up and down distastefully. Oops. Might have been a good idea to change out of her muggle clothes before she came here. Oh well. Couldn't be helped now. "Yes?" asked the house elf disdainfully.

Isadora wouldn't be humbled by him. Despite her attire, she maintained the air of self-importance that would be expected of someone of her class. "Is your master at home?"

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No," she challenged.

The house elf seemed gleeful at being able to deny her entrance. "I'm sorry, but the Master is quite busy—"

Isadora cut him off with a laugh. "I'm sure he is," she said confidently. "Tell Lucius that Isadora Angelline is here. I'm quite sure he'd be willing to set aside his work to see me."

Clearly, the house-elf was reconsidering. "Wait here," he said curtly before shutting the door to retreat into the house and find his master.

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	27. The Beginning of the End

**Hello ducks,**

**I'm not particularly happy with this chapter but I'm not sure how to fix it so any input would be greatly appreciated.**

**No one to thank cause no one reviewed the last chapter. - ( Only two days between postings though so that's probably why…**

**Love from Kassie**

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**Chapter 27: The Beginning of the End**

SEPTEMBER 1ST, 1977

THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS

James looked into the mirror and gulped. How could this happen to him? He looked like a complete and utter wanker and there was no way his friends were going to pass up this golden opportunity to torment him. Perhaps if he just hid in the bathroom the entire train ride no one would notice his absence? How long could he go without eating? Could he find enough things to amuse himself with in the meantime? A knock on the door interrupted his musings and the voice on the other side made it clear that hiding was not an option.

"All right, Prongs. Time to come out and face the music. I've been waiting all month for this and I won't let you ruin it for me by hiding in the bathroom the whole time."

James let out a wistful sigh. There was no turning back now. He was just going to have to go out there and get it over with. He messed up his hair once more for good measure, picked up his wand off the sink and opened the door.

Sirius burst out in howls of laughter. "Aw, mate. I can't believe it. I'm seeing it and I just can't believe it. You look absolutely ridiculous."

James stood there uncomfortably for a second trying to hide his offending garment. Well, it wasn't the garment that was offensive so much as the badge that was pinned to it. "Just stuff it, Padfoot," he mumbled before pushing past his friend so that he could escape to the relative safety of their compartment. Sirius was one step behind him, laughing the whole way.

When they reached the compartment, James was relieved to see that Remus and Peter were not as amused by his predicament as Sirius. If anything, Peter was even more impressed with James than he already was. And Remus…well, Remus just shook his head slightly as if to say he couldn't even begin to fathom what was going through Albus Dumbledore's mind when he decided to make James Potter head boy.

James quickly sat down and tried to arrange his clothing so that the badge was not visible but to no avail. Sirius, who had managed to calm down somewhat, sat down next to him. "Nervous?" he asked.

"No," said James forcefully.

"Don't worry," offered Remus. "Just follow Lily's lead. In fact, if I know her at all, I'd say she'd be much happier if you just did what she told you to. Let her worry about organizing the prefects and everything."

"Thanks," mumbled James. "The less I have to do the better. I'm sure I'd just muck it all up anyways and then she'd just get mad at me and there goes all the goodwill I got last year."

"You'll be great," piped in Peter. "Dumbledore wouldn't have made you head boy if he didn't think you could do it."

James nodded appreciatively at his friend's comment. Of course, Sirius had to go and ruin it all. "I think it's going to be a complete disaster. You're either gonna pull a prank with me and get into trouble in the next two months or Lily's going to get so sick of you that she's going to resort to murder."

James glared at Sirius and threw a cauldron cake at him. This began a mini-food fight between the two that Remus and Peter tried their best to stay out of. Lucky for them, it couldn't last too long. James and Sirius quickly realized that they were wasting food that they would be sure to want later.

"Did it ever occur to you two that you're almost eighteen years-old and still acting like children?" asked Remus sardonically.

"Now is the time, Moony old friend," responded James.

"Yeah," agreed Sirius. "This is it. The beginning of the end. There's only one year left and I don't know about you, but I'd much rather stay here than go get a job."

Remus shrugged. "I don't know. I'm kind of looking forward to moving out of my mum's house. It'll be nice to have my own place."

A squeak of surprise from the door of the compartment alerted the boys to the presence of someone new. When they looked, they saw Lily Evans standing there in shock. Her eyes widened when she got a good look at James' uniform. "Oh dear," she said quietly as she stepped into the compartment and closed the door. "It's true, then."

Lily walked over and sat down across from James, careful to avoid the remnants of the food fight. He looked terrified and the other three boys tried to stifle grins as they could see that she was about to give him a stern talking to.

Lily sat up ramrod straight and stared James in the eyes, as if hoping this would impress upon him the seriousness of their situation. "All right, Potter. I don't know what god decided to make you head boy but we are just going to have to make the best of the situation." James nodded but didn't speak, the fear evident in his eyes. "Now, I must admit, you're not the complete toerag I thought you were but that does not change the fact that if you mess this up, I am going to hurt you. So, we're going to go up to the prefect's compartment right now and you're going to let me take care of everything and just sit there and not say a word. Understand?" James nodded mutely. Apparently, the imposed silence was now in effect. Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

"I think you're fine, Lily," said Remus. "He's still in shock."

"Good," she said. "If we can just get through today, I'll be happy. I'm more worried about a month from now when this one," she jerked her head in Sirius' direction, "convinces him to do something stupid."

"I resent that," said Sirius. "I'll have you know that James was just as responsible for our many acts of mischief as I was. I never exactly had to pull his arm."

"And that's what worries me," she sighed. "Well, I suppose that we're just going to have to get this over with. Ready, Potter?"

James took a deep breath and nodded. She then looked over at Remus, "Coming?"

"Absolutely," he said. "I wouldn't miss this for all the candy in Hogsmeade."

The three of them stood up to leave but before they could go, Sirius cleared his throat. "Umm, actually, Lily? I had a quick question for you," he said in a would be casual manner. She looked at him curiously for a second. "You haven't spoken to Isadora lately, have you?"

Lily's face cleared a little. "No. I was actually going to ask you the same thing. I talked to her at the beginning of the summer and then a little over a month ago…nothing. She just stopped responding to my owls. I take it the same thing happened to you?"

Sirius nodded but didn't say anything. His face was a blank. Lily was kind of pissed at Isadora for not speaking to her but now she was a little worried. She figured that out of everyone, she would have kept in touch with Sirius. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it," she said weakly. "You know her. I'm sure she'll resurface soon." Privately, she wasn't so sure.

The three of them exited the compartment and made their way to the front of the train. Lily gave Remus a questioning look as they walked. He shrugged. "She stopped talking to me too."

"They were supposed to get back together," offered James.

"I didn't know that," said Remus with a touch of surprise.

James nodded. "That's why she was going to come back early. He's been kind of touchy about it though so we just don't talk about it. I haven't heard him so much as say her name in the past three weeks. I think he thought that she was avoiding him."

"Well, that doesn't make sense," said Lily. "Unless she's avoiding all of us."

The three of them thought about that for a second. "Look, is it just me," asked James, "or do you guys think that she's a little strange?"

"Depends what you mean by strange," said Remus.

"I don't know. Look, I don't have anything against her and she's definitely helped us out of a jam once or twice but…I just can't shake the feeling that she's messing with Sirius' head."

Remus stopped short, "You think she's toying with him?"

"No," said Lily firmly. "Definitely not." She paused a second because she knew she would have to tread lightly here. "Okay, I don't know exactly what went on between you guys last year. All I do know is that after it all blew up, Isadora was a complete wreck. None of you guys were talking to her so you didn't see it, but she was devastated. Is she strange? You bet. I'll give you that one. But vindictive?" She shook her head. "I don't think so. I just don't see it."

"I have to agree with Lily on this one," said Remus.

James shrugged. "I don't know. It was just a thought."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that just now," said Lily. They were standing outside the prefect's compartment. "We have bigger fish to fry."

"Bigger fish to fry?" asked James.

"It's a muggle expression," muttered Lily. "Come on." And with that, the two boys followed her into the compartment.

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Despite the delicious dessert spread out in front of them, the moods of the students were not as excited and carefree as they usually were at the opening feast. Much had happened in the wizarding world the past month and Dumbledore did not neglect it. After the sorting and before the feast, he had asked them to stand for a moment of silence in honor of Dominic Ackerly.

Ackerly was a well known auror at the Ministry and his death was quite a shock because he wasn't even killed in the line of duty. He was ambushed at his home and brutally tortured and murdered. The person who took credit for this deed was a wizard calling himself Lord Voldemort. No one knew who he was or where he came from but he had definitely been around for awhile. It was now a commonly held belief that the disappearances and murders that had been occurring over the past few years could be attributed to him. Those who served him were known as Death Eaters and the green skull that was floating in the sky above Ackerly's house was his symbol. The Ministry couldn't cover it up now and there was a sense of foreboding in the wizarding world.

After all of the students had sat down, Dumbledore spoke briefly, telling them that now more than ever, they needed to stick together, to stand united against whatever forces were threatening their previously peaceful world.

The students took in what he said, some with a grim seriousness and others with a grain of salt. Ackerly's death was quite a shock but things hadn't come to a head yet. No one knew what Voldemort was capable of or even what he wanted for that matter. The most that people knew was that he was a believer in purity of the blood. Beyond that…who knew? The wizarding world would just have to wait and see.

Like many of the students in the Great Hall, three of the Marauder's were trying their best to push unpleasant thoughts from their minds. They sat at their table, enjoying the sweets spread out in front of them and enjoying the fact that they were all together once more for their seventh and final year at Hogwarts.

The fourth Marauder was there physically, but his head was somewhere else. Sirius had changed over the past month. He had fun with his friends on the train but the depression that he had always struggled with was back. He had let his black hair grow out over the summer so that it hung forlornly in his face. His friends had tried to cheer him up during the feast but had given up by then, leaving him to brood silently.

His thoughts weighed on him. Sirius was pissed at Isadora before but after speaking with Lily, he was just plain worried. He couldn't imagine what had happened to her, why she would just disappear like that. She hadn't turned up on the train and she wasn't at the welcoming feast either.

Sirius glanced up at the head table. Dumbledore's calm demeanor was his only indication that Isadora was okay. If something had happened to her, he surely wouldn't be as relaxed as he was? He knew that they weren't close, but still…

He had to know what happened to her. He couldn't just sit there and do nothing. Pushing his plate away from him, Sirius got up and made his way towards the headmaster. As he approached, Dumbledore noticed him and his eyes glittered kindly. Sirius stood in front of the head table, rather uncomfortably. Fortunately, most of the students were focused on food and conversation and took no notice of his unorthodox action.

Sirius shifted on his feet and felt suddenly shy. "Excuse me, headmaster?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Good evening, Mr. Black. Is there something I can help you with?"

Sirius gulped and when he spoke, he stared down at the table. His voice was low so that the other adults at the table wouldn't hear. "I was just wondering Professor…the thing is that I know you are Isadora's guardian and I thought you could tell me…well, where is she? Is she okay?"

If he was looking up, he would have seen shock in Dumbledore's eyes. "She hasn't contacted you or your friends?" he asked slowly.

Sirius looked up sharply and shook his head no, afraid of what he was going to hear.

"I think I had better let her explain it to you," the headmaster said cautiously.

"Great," said Sirius quickly. "If you could just tell me how to get in touch with her…"

"She's here," said Dumbledore. "At the school. If she didn't want to come to the feast then I'd imagine she's in Gryffindor Tower."

Sirius's eyes widened a little and he turned around without another word. His feet seemed to move of their own accord. He made his way out of the Great Hall, stopping only to ask James for the password and not even giving his friends the chance to ask him what had happened. He was in a daze. Was she really just upstairs? Had she really been here all this time, not even caring that her friends were worried sick about her?

All too soon, he arrived at the fat lady's portrait, not even realizing that he had finished the long walk to the tower. He gave the password and the portrait swung aside to reveal Gryffindor common room. Sirius entered, still in a fog and tentatively took a few steps forward. He stopped short at the sight in front of him and his mind instantly cleared.

There was Isadora, sitting on the floor at one of the tables, her back to him. It looked like she had been there awhile. Parchment and textbooks surrounded her and clutter littered the table. Apparently, she had heard him enter the common room because she was rushing to clean up, stuffing textbooks and schoolwork into her bag and pushing rubbish off to the side.

"What are you doing here?" he said softly.

Isadora froze at the sound of his voice. Clearly, she wasn't expecting the person who had entered to be him. She didn't turn, didn't speak, just sat there frozen in shock. Sirius walked over to her and made his way around the table to sit across from her. Her eyes locked onto his and she looked like a deer trapped in the headlights.

Sirius got a good look at her and was relieved to see that she seemed okay, just a little pale and tired. At this thought, anger bubbled to the surface. If she was okay, why didn't she contact him, tell him so that he could stop worrying so god damn much about her? "What are you doing here?" he repeated roughly.

Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. "Let's try again," he said, his tension growing. "Why have you been ignoring my owls?"

She finally seemed able to speak. "I didn't mean to," she said quietly, fear in her voice. "I'm sorry, Sirius. Please believe me, I didn't mean to make you worry. Something…something happened and I couldn't…I couldn't write."

This was too much for him. "Enough!" he yelled at her, losing control completely. "Enough of your bullshit! I'm sick of your lying, of keeping things from me. You tell me right now what happened, Izzy or I'm done with you. Understand?" Tears streamed silently down her face but he ignored them.

"I was sick," she said.

"Then you write a letter. Sirius, I'm sick. Not that difficult is it?!"

"I—I couldn't."

"You expect me to believe that you were too sick to pick up a quill?"

"I'm not lying!" Her voice was laced with desperation now. "Please, Sirius. I only got out of St. Mungo's a week ago—"

He cut her off, "Then why didn't you contact me?"

"I didn't…I didn't know what to say."

Sirius wanted to grab her and shake her but resisted the temptation. "You say what happened. Tell me what happened, Izzy. Right now."

Isadora was silent for a second. Then she shook her head slowly.

"No?!" he asked incredulously. "You're not going to explain yourself? You're not going to tell me what happened?"

She squeezed her eyes shut to try and stop the flow of tears and shook her head again.

Sirius sat back in his chair defeated. He wanted her to tell him what happened but he wasn't going to beg and he couldn't force her. He studied her for a second for some sign that she would relent. She just sat there looking forlornly at the table but at least her tears seemed to have stopped. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. "Physically I mean."

Isadora shrugged. "More or less."

"I want to help you, but you need to let me."

"There's nothing you can do." She still wouldn't look at him.

Sirius grunted and his anger threatened to return but he kept it in check. "I can't do this with you anymore," he said listlessly. "If you can't be honest with me, then I can't be with you." He wouldn't admit it to himself but part of him wished that she would do something dramatic and tell him how much he meant to her and how much she needed him...she wasn't the type and neither was he. Instead, Isadora just nodded her head in understanding, not even trying this time around to fight him. Sirius took one last look at her face and silently pleaded with her to look up at him. She didn't. He shook his head suddenly disgusted with her, with himself, with the whole bloody situation. He got up and left her there to go up to his dormitory and didn't once look back.

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